


The Governor's Wife

by Milksapphire



Series: The Huns [3]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Alternate Universe - Xena: Warrior Princess, Ancient China, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Byzantine Empire, Children, Concubines, Deja Vu, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Historical Inaccuracy, Holy Roman Empire, Hun Empire, Sabir Empire, Sex, Song Empire, Transylvania, Türkçe | Turkish, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-01-05 14:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 55
Words: 400,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18367991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milksapphire/pseuds/Milksapphire
Summary: Hun Series Part III: When Gabrielle is appointed as Governor of the Hun Empire she is forced to make difficult decisions regarding alliances and enemies. Xena's grandson impedes an alliance made with a southern tribe. Gabrielle fears that history may be repeating itself so she and Xena must reconcile with their ally while also prevent a growing empire in the east from invading.





	1. Chapter 1

**Welcome back** _**again** _ **. If you haven't read the previous stories I highly suggest you do or you'll be very confused.**

**All the characters from the previous story are present but there are a few new additions. As always, historical inaccuracy is a common theme in this series but all the events here did actual happen in history with my own twists added. This story is also a bit lighter than its predecessors (sort of).**

**Enjoy :)**

The Huns: A Continuing Saga

Part I: The Commander's Poet

Part II: The Consul's Warrior

Part III: The Governor's Wife

Chapter 1

Inside the foyer of the large and now built on Adame, the two princesses, Arielle and Cera, stood in front of their aunt, Leila patiently. She gave specific instructions for Arielle and Cera pretended to listen and understand but her mind was elsewhere. Her eyes roamed the Adame as she barely listened to her aunt.

Leila placed a bag into Arielle's arms and bent down to her eye level. "Make sure you take this to Bakkah's yurt as soon as possible!" she ordered and the nine year old nodded. "Don't make any stops, okay? Kreka Khatun wants these dresses delivered to Bakkah."

Arielle sighed. "Yes, yes, I know. I got it okay?" she said and Leila smiled then pat her cheek. She slung the heavy bag over her shoulder and grabbed her little sister's hand. "Come on Cera."

"We're going to see Bakkah?" the child cheered excitedly.

"Yes, we are." Arielle walked down the stairs of the Adame as her sister hopped down each step. "Cera, don't be silly. Come on!"

"Okay..." the five year old slumped her shoulders and gripped her sister's hand firmly. She ran her fingers through her long straight dark red hair and huffed. Arielle peered down at her and smiled.

They walked down a different path that was definitely not near Bakkah's yurt. Cera frowned and glanced up at her tall sister. "Hey, this is not the way to Bakkah's..."

"We're just going to make a small stop," Arielle said.

" _Arielle_..." Cera groaned. "Teyze Leila said –"

"Teyze Leila  _said_  to deliver the dresses and we are going to do that but first, we make a stop." She said and Cera grumbled.

The two princesses walked into the largest yurt in Pannonia, which was built near the woods but not too far from the Adame. Arielle smiled when she saw Gabrielle sitting on the floor, swirling a spoon in a tall glass of tea.

"Hey Gabby!" she said and the blonde jumped, nearly spilling the tea.

She turned and smiled at the two girls. "Hello girls," she said. She then noticed Arielle's curly dark haired had been straightened. "What did you do to your hair?"

Arielle grinned and flipped her waist length pin straight hair behind her shoulder proudly. "Do you like it? Teyze Leila ironed it for me. What do you think?"

Gabrielle quirked her mouth. "I think I like your curly hair better."

The princess frowned and tossed the heavy bag onto the rug. "But I want straight hair like mother and grandma. It's prettier and way better than my regular hair."

"Your hair looks fine," Gabrielle said with a smile. Cera sat down beside her and she hugged the small princess. "Your dress is very pretty," she complimented and the redheaded princess giggled softly.

Arielle placed her hands on her hips. "Where's grandma? I want to show her my hair."

Gabrielle bit her bottom lip and looked to the bedroom. "She's in the bedroom..." she said and then saw a sneaky smile appear on the princess' face. "Arielle, don't go in there."

"Why not?" Arielle walked through Gabrielle and her sister and stormed into Xena's bedroom.

Cera sighed and shook her head. "She never listens."

Gabrielle chuckled and ran her fingers through the girl's silky dark red hair. "Nope. She sure doesn't."

* * *

Arielle peered over the bed and saw her grandmother sleeping soundly. She grinned mischievously and hopped onto the bed, jarring Xena awake. "Grandma!" she yelled and Xena's eyes shot open.

"Arielle!" she hissed and the girl laughed loudly. She groaned and turned over onto her other side, cuddling the blankets close to her chest. "Go away," she murmured.

Arielle shook her grandmother lightly. "Aweh come on! Everyone else is awake. Grandma..."

"Arielle..." Xena opened her eyes and stared at the wall as she was being shaken by her insistent granddaughter. "Infernal child..." she grumbled.

"Grandma," the princess persisted.

"What?" Xena said tersely.

"Grandma..."

" _What_?!" she sat up and turned to see a big grin on her granddaughter's face. Her jaw dropped and she touched Arielle's silky black hair. "What have you done to your hair?"

Arielle shrugged a shoulder. "You like it? Now it looks like yours."

Xena sighed. "But your curls are so pretty,  _tatli kiz_. Why would you do this?" she frowned and fixed a few strands of the girl's hair. Arielle stepped back and smoothed her hair out by herself.

"Because I don't like my hair. I want it to look like yours and mother's."

"There's nothing wrong with your hair, Arielle." Xena said and the princess folded her arms. "What are you doing here interrupting my sleep?" she asked bitterly.

"Well actually," Arielle hopped off the bed. "Cera and I were going to see Bakkah and bring her some dresses. Are you coming to the party tonight?"

Xena tossed the blanket off her and got out of bed, ignoring her granddaughter's question. Arielle grabbed hold of her arm as she walked around the room, trying to find her sheer robe.

"Grandma, come on! It's gonna be really fun."

"Arielle, I don't know. Maybe." She said and looked down at the princess with her straight hair. She cringed, "your hair...why," she wagged her head then left the bedroom. Arielle pouted and then followed behind her.

She smiled seeing Gabrielle and Cera sitting together on the floor. The redheaded princess turned and gasped. Quickly getting off the floor she ran towards her and Xena wrapped her arms around Cera's small frame.

Arielle rolled her eyes. "You hug  _her_  but tell  _me_  to get out of your room? How unfair."

"She didn't wake me up," Xena snidely said and winked at her sassy granddaughter. "What are you and Gabrielle talking about?"

"Lots of things," Cera said. She started naming the subjects, using her fingers. "Dresses and the party and horses and Csaba and you!" she beamed.

"Me?" Xena asked and the princess nodded. "Only good things I hope?"

Gabrielle rolled her eyes playfully. "How was your alarm?" she teased, eyeing Arielle.

"Unpleasant," Xena grumbled and Arielle smiled sheepishly. "Don't you have to go see Bakkah or something?"

"Oh yeah!" Arielle ran over and grabbed the bag. "Let's go Cera before Kreka Khatun hunts us down!" she snatched her sister and the two left in a hurry.

Gabrielle sighed and sipped the hot tea, burning her tongue in the process. "Ah!" she hissed and wafted her tongue. Xena smirked and sat down opposite her, lounging on some pillows. Gabrielle drank some water and frowned at her partner's smug face. "You think this is funny?"

"A little bit." Xena nodded. "That's karma. Why didn't you stop Arielle from coming into the room? You know I hate my sleep being interrupted."

"Right, Xena. Like I could stop that girl. She does whatever she wants." She griped and was careful to sip the tea slower this time. "Did you see her hair? God, why would she do that?"

Xena shrugged a shoulder. "She doesn't like her hair. Can't imagine why." She reached forward and grabbed a glass of tea for herself. "Anastasia is going to lose her marbles when she sees her hair."

"I would like to be there to see that," Gabrielle said more enthusiastically than she wanted. "She should be coming back soon."

Her partner nodded.

"So, what time are we going to the party?"

Mood killer for sure. "Gabrielle..." she rolled her eyes.

"Come on Xena, you always do this! You never want to go to any parties. What do you plan to do? Stay in this yurt all day and night?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me," she smiled and lifted her glass. She saw the unsatisfied look on the blonde's face. "Gabrielle, you know I don't like parties. Why do you always pressure me to go to them? You should know me better by now."

"Because Xena, you are turning into a hermit."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. We don't do anything anymore. You just want to stay in this yurt and only come out when Ana is here."

Xena pursed her lips. "So? What's your point? I'm not allowed to see my daughter?"

"No, I'm just saying that we haven't done anything these last few months. Everyone is having babies or going to war," she wiped her mouth after spilling some tea on her blouse.

"My two favorite things," Xena teased.

"Everyone likes babies, Xena."

"Gabrielle, you know that is not true," the commander playfully said. "Although, Bakkah will have her baby soon. I guess you're right. There must be something in the water," she winked and the blonde cast a knowing look.

"Very funny. You're going to the party.  _We're_  both going." She pressed and Xena rolled her eyes dramatically. "And you're going to have a good time."

Xena finally relented. "Alright. We go make an appearance and then we leave!"

"You're really starting to become a mean old lady, Xena," she teased and her partner gasped. "I might even see a few grey hairs..." she reached forward and looked at Xena's black hair.

"I do not have grey hairs, Gabrielle. Stop!" she slapped her hand and folded her arms. "I am not old."

"I'm just teasing you, Xena," she said playfully. "Isn't Kreka the same age as you?" she asked and Xena nodded curtly. "Have you seen her hair?" she sipped the tea, lifting her brows.

Xena waved her hand dismissively. "That woman never ages. She's looked the same since the first time I laid eyes on her. A few silver streaks in her hair doesn't change who she is."

"A  _few_?" Gabrielle said with a knowing look. "Okay, I'll stop."

"Her sons stress her out obviously and it's starting to show. Her hair probably wouldn't have gotten so grey if Ernak would have just married Bakkah instead of getting her pregnant. Did you see her face? She almost fainted!" Xena laughed and Gabrielle frowned. "What? It was hilarious."

"You two are never going to stop are you?"

Xena licked her lips and placed the tea in her lap. "Stop what?" she feigned innocence.

"This competition you two have. You're always competing with her."

"We've always been like that Gabrielle and I know you didn't know her before you came along but she and I were never good friends until Anastasia had Csaba."

Gabrielle smirked. "All it took was a baby to bring you two together. How weird."

"Yes but I have  _three_  grandchildren," she held up three fingers and he partner reared her head back, rolling her eyes.

"Oh god." Gabrielle got up and walked over to the table to make more tea.

"What?" Xena sat up. "She only has one!"

Gabrielle called from the kitchenette area, "don't forget about Giselle."

Xena frowned sadly, "way to dampen the mood, Gabrielle."

"She would have been seven," she turned and smiled softly. Xena nodded and drank the last bit of her tea and lifted her glass. "So...I know you're not going to wear a dress but will you at least let me do your hair for tonight?"

"No."

"Xena, please?"

"No!"

"Why not? You have gorgeous long hair! I'll brush it for you."

"Gabrielle..."

Gabrielle walked over and sat in front of her partner, looking into her azure eyes. "Come on, Xena. For me?" she leaned in closer and kissed her nose. Xena sighed heavily and quirked her mouth. "I take that as a yes?"

"Fine, but no braids or anything weird."

* * *

Gabrielle sat on the floor behind Xena, brushing her long hair and sectioning it off to put some wax in it. Xena sighed heavily, already wishing she hadn't agreed to this. "You're going to look beautiful," she said and Xena grumbled. "I mean, even more beautiful than you already are."

"Are you almost finished?"

"No! Stay still and don't move," instructed Gabrielle.

"You're doing a lot for just a short appearance, Gabrielle."

The blonde smiled smugly and scooped a good amount of wax into her palm and rubbed it onto Xena's long hair. "Stop whining, Xena. Your hair is going to look great."

Xena sighed heavily and she heard someone come into the yurt. She frowned and got up in the middle of Gabrielle's session and walked to the curtains.

"Xena!"

She saw Arielle in the sitting room without Cera by her side. She was looking, searching even. Xena raised her eyebrow and stepped out of the bedroom. "What are you doing?"

Arielle gasped and her cheeks flushed. "Nothing."

"Don't lie to me. What were you doing? Searching for something?"

"Well, I wanted to get Gabrielle's Sais and show them to my friends," she said sheepishly.

Her grandmother eyed her precariously and folded her arms. "You mean you wanted to steal them."

"No, no! I was going to bring them right back! Honest!" the princess smiled from ear to ear.

Gabrielle emerged from the bedroom with her hands covered in wax. She then saw the intruder and grinned. "Arielle," she greeted and then frowned up at her partner. "I wasn't done with you."

"She was going to take your Sais, Gabrielle." Xena said and saw her granddaughter hang her head in shame.

"Arielle, is that true?" Gabrielle asked the princess.

Arielle sighed and kicked the rug with her boot. "I just wanted to show my friends your awesome weapons, Gabrielle. I was going to bring them back."

"You know you can't have any weapons. Your mother's rules, not ours," Gabrielle said and accidentally folded her arms and got wax all over herself. She grumbled and then wiped her hands on Xena's hair.

Xena spun around and gave her a menacing stare while her blonde partner simply smiled. "Anyway...Gabrielle's right. Your mother said you can't be near weapons especially after that one time you nearly chopped off all your hair."

Arielle chuckled embarrassedly. "That was a minor mishap."

"Uh huh. Did you deliver the dresses to Bakkah?"

"Yeah! I hope the baby comes soon. I will have a cousin," Arielle wriggled her eyebrows. "I hope it's a girl."

Gabrielle nodded and looked at Xena's straight waxy hair. Too much wax, she noted. "I'm sure Kreka wouldn't mind that."

"An army of girls," Xena teased. "Arielle, why don't you get ready for the party tonight and Gabrielle will bring her Sais to show your friends?"

She received a jab from Gabrielle and she nudged her back. The princess grinned excitedly. "Okay! You promise to bring them, Gabby?"

"Oh yeah... _definitely_..."

Arielle ran out of the yurt and Gabrielle slowly lifted her head to Xena. "What the hell?"

"What? I can't resist that face she makes when she gets excited," she shrugged her shoulders and then touched her waxy hair. "Are you going to finish this or what?" she walked back into the bedroom.

Gabrielle cursed under her breath and stomped back into the room behind her partner. "You could have just told her no."

"Gabrielle," she sat down and held the brush in her hand. "For once in my life I don't have to say no. Arielle reminds me so much of Anastasia and I was never able to be the mother that I wanted to be with my own daughter. Arielle is so much happier than Ana was at her age. Sometimes I wish I could go back and redo everything the right way."

Gabrielle's hardened face softened and she knelt down in front of her commander. "You did the best you could at the time. I mean, look at Anastasia now. She is a queen of her people. You should be proud of her. I know I am."

Xena smiled and received a kiss to her forehead.

"So, about this hair of yours..." Gabrielle snatched the hair brush from Xena's grasp and sat behind her, continuing her duties.

* * *

That night at the party outside in front of the Adame and in the center of Pannonia, everyone gathered around, even Ebnedzar's people, who now lived in the capital of the Hun Empire, came as well. At first, his people were not well liked among the Bulgur and Pannonian Huns, but they learned to live together.

Ernak, already on his fifth or sixth glass of wine, found his elder brother and wrapped his arm around him. "Dengi...brother," he grinned widely and his brother sighed heavily. "My child will arrive soon. I expect any day now!"

Dengizich smiled and nodded his head, paying attention to the women dancing. Leila was with the children and some other women from the Suevi tribe, talking, some dancing, but mostly just talking. He kept his eye on Leila as she was talking with the women and children.

His mother was preoccupied with Ernak's soon to be wife, Bakkah, and was getting a lot of attention due to her giving birth any day now. After Giselle died, Leila was afraid to have any more children and refrained from the idea for four years now. He was afraid that he would never have another child because of his wife's fear and anxiety reliving the moment she lost their daughter in that fire years ago. Though, he remained supportive of his younger brother and put on a smile for him.

"That's great, Ernak. I'm sure you're very excited," he said calmly and sipped his wine.

"Yes! Very much so!" the youngest prince cheered. "And I'm sure it is a boy. Ellac has a daughter so I should have a boy."

Dengi rolled his eyes. "You can't just expect a son, Ernak. You might have a daughter. You will find out shortly. Where is Bakkah anyway? Did she not come to the party?"

"No, no," Ernak explained. "I told her to rest," he sipped his wine and saw their mother talking with Ebnedzar. He gasped and hid behind Dengi. "Don't let mother see me," he whispered.

"Why not?" Dengi said with a chuckle.

"I don't want her to scold me!" he saw her coming their way. "Shit. I was never here. I'm going to talk to Ebnedzar's friends. Don't tell her a thing!" he ran off, nearly spilling his cup of wine everywhere in the process.

Kreka approached her son and frowned. "Where's Ernak?"

Dengizich thumbed behind him, "he went off to go see some friends," he swept his younger brother under the rug. "Mother, don't give him a hard time. It's a party and you're supposed to have fun. Let him have his fun. After all, this is probably one of the last nights he'll have to himself."

She hummed and folded her arms. "And Bakkah, where is she?"

"Resting in her yurt." He said and she walked by him. He grabbed her arm and she snarled. "Mother, don't be in such a bad mood. She is having your grandchild after all."

"I know that, you goat." She pulled her arm away and fixed her sleeve. "And that's why I'm going to check on her," she smiled and walked off in a hurry.

He shook his head and sat down on a wooden bench, watching his wife laughing and talking with the women whilst holding their daughter. He smiled softly and then saw Csaba walking by. He immediately waved at him and grabbed him in a neck hold.

"Hey, Csaba!"

"Uncle, come on. I'm not a kid anymore!" he growled and jabbed his elbow in his uncle's ribs. Dengi grunted and slapped the back of Csaba's head lightly.

"You're turning into your mother, Csaba. So violent," he chuckled. "This is a party. You're supposed to have fun." He said and his nephew mocked him, brushing his hands down his sleeves. He eyed some Akitziri girls across the field, sitting by a fire, talking and laughing. "You should go talk to those girls, Csaba."

The young prince looked at the Akitziri girls and saw one of them staring right at him. His mouth parted and she brushed the burgundy veil she wore behind her shoulder and smiled at him. He gazed at her light green eyes and olive toned skin glistening in the fire. She flicked a long strand of her wavy black hair over her shoulder and continued talking with her friends.

Dengi slapped him on the back lightly and Csaba grunted. "That girl is gorgeous, Csaba. She was looking at you. You should go talk to her."

"No! I don't know what to say!" he panicked.

Ever since Erzibet was taken by Persian missionaries two years ago, he hadn't spoken to any other girls since then. He hadn't been around a lot of girls his age growing up and it was awkward enough being around Erzibet for those short few years. He even wanted to marry her but his parents said no. When his eighteenth birthday came, his mother gave him permission to marry her but by that time; Erzibet was ripped from his arms. He didn't love her, but he liked her shy demur and not to mention she was a beautiful mix of Khazar Hun and Persian.

"Are you going to hide from women forever, Csaba? Come on, it's a party. Go talk to her!"

"Lay off me, Dengi," he grumbled and stomped off.

Leila walked over to her husband and frowned at the prince muttering to himself as he walked away from the party. She tapped her fingers on the wine glass and Dengi wrapped an arm around her slim frame. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing. He's going to be a virgin forever," he teased and his wife slapped his chest and he spilled wine all over his robe. "Leila!"

* * *

Xena groaned and walked towards the bonfires with Gabrielle by her side. There was a group of children around Arielle's age, most of them boys, but there were some girls, which was nice. Once, it used to be unusual to see girls in Pannonia and now it was the norm.

"Alright, we made an appearance. Can we go now?"

Gabrielle grabbed her partner's arm and ushered them both towards the actual party. "No, we're not leaving. We didn't even say hello to anyone!"

"And? They know who we are," Xena grumbled.

"Xena, stop it. We're here to have fun."

The brunette sighed and went along with this idiotic plan of her consort's. "I don't see what the big deal is anyway. This party has no meaning to it."

"Sometimes those are the best kind of parties," mentioned Gabrielle. "I see Dengizich! We should go say hi."

"No, no. Ugh, Gabrielle..." she whined and was reluctantly dragged along.

"Dengi!"

He turned and smiled at the two women –commander and governor. "Gabrielle," he greeted and saw the disdain on the commander's face. "Xena," he chuckled.

"She's not exactly thrilled to be here," Gabrielle whispered. He nodded, gathering that by the look on her face. "So, where is the wine?" she asked excitedly.

He blinked and handed her his cup. "For you," he crookedly smiled and Leila smirked. "I will get another cup for Xena."

"No thanks," she murmured.

Arielle ran up and snatched Gabrielle's arm. "Hey, Gabby, did you bring your awesome Sais? I told my friends that you'd show them!"

Gabrielle sighed. "Yes, I brought them. Remember, these aren't toys."

"Yeah, yeah," the princess said and started pulling her away from the group. "Come on! I gotta show my friends!"

"Xena, will you be alright by yourself?" Gabrielle asked as she was slowly being escorted by the persistent princess. Xena nodded and waved her hand.

* * *

Sometime later, Xena realized that Gabrielle was more preoccupied with Arielle and that gaggle of Bulgur girls that Arielle befriended. She decided to sit by herself near a bonfire and tapped her fingers on the armrest of a wooden chair, staring at the shamans which were a part of Ebnedzar's tribe from Suevi.

She was so fixated on the fire that she didn't even notice Csaba coming to sit next to her. She turned and smiled at her grandson. She admired his green eyes that were just like Ellac's but he definitely had Anastasia's face and smile. He definitely didn't look like a scrawny teenager anymore and had his father's slender yet muscular frame and even decided to grow his hair out passed his shoulders like his uncles and father.

She noticed that he was being very fidgety and grabbed his shaking thigh. "What's wrong with you?"

He looked at that same girl that he saw a few hours ago. She was walking around in a circle with a group of her friends and he cocked his head, continuing to gawk. Xena followed his gaze and sighed heavily. Her sigh did not go unnoticed and his cheeks flushed.

She stared at the green eyed girl and saw a pendant sewn on her ornate gold and black dress. Her veil was also filled with beads draped over her forehead on the boxy headpiece she wore. "She is someone important, you know," she said and his eyes widened.

"How –how can you tell?"

"The pendant on her gown and the silver beads on her headdress. It's a dead giveaway. Your mother's headdress is similar."

Csaba nodded. "So, is she royalty?" he asked as his eyes were glued to the girl.

Xena wanted to laugh at her grandson's infatuation with the girl but cleared her throat instead, keeping her thoughts to herself. "Perhaps," she nonchalantly waved her hand. "Why don't you go ask her?"

His face paled and he whipped his head around, mean mugging his grandmother. She had a smug grin on her lips and tapped her fingers on her knee. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" she asked and noticed the girl looking his way. "She's looking at you, Csaba…" she teased him and he grumbled, sinking in the chair. "Come on, don't be a chicken." She pushed him off the chair and he gasped. "Go on."

He faltered and then wrapped his long hair into a low bun and fixed his gold vest. "How do I look?"

"Very handsome. Now go over there before I introduce myself."

He frowned and walked off towards the group of girls. She shook her head and then was startled by an arm wrapped around her neck. She looked up and saw Gabrielle peering down at her, holding a wine bottle in one hand.

The blonde came around and sat herself down on Xena's lap. "Gabrielle, are you alright?"

"What? Oh yes, I'm fine." She shoved the wine in the commander's face. "Do you want some?"

"I'm good, thanks." Xena pushed Gabrielle off her lap and she fell on the grass. Snickering softly she received a glare. "I thought you were with Arielle?"

Gabrielle nodded and climbed up to the chair that Csaba sat in previously. "I was…but Ernak gave me this wine. I couldn't resist," she sheepishly smiled and Xena rolled her eyes. "You know, Arielle has a lot of friends. Loric is really nice."

Xena widened her eyes. "Loric? She's friends with a Bulgur  _boy_?" she gripped the armrest and broke off a piece. Gabrielle puckered her lips and gawked at her partner. A bit embarrassed by her temper, Xena threw the wood piece down on the ground and hid her face, sinking in the chair. "Where is he?"

"Xena, Xena, Xena…" Gabrielle leaned forward with glossy eyes. "Relax. They're just children." She grabbed her partner by the cheeks and gazed in the sapphire eyes. "You worry too much. She's only nine!"

"I hope you wake up with a blazing headache tomorrow morning," Xena cursed her and slapped her hand away.

Arielle walked up with a boy and Xena narrowed her eyes. Gabrielle grabbed her wrist to prevent her from lashing out. The princess smiled at her grandmother and the boy nervously looked at Xena. She was itching to get out of the chair but the only thing holding her back was Gabrielle's firm grip.

"Loric, this is my grandma," she introduced him and he smiled briefly. Xena raised her eyebrow and didn't bother to respond to him. He ran his fingers through his brown hair and his cheeks flushed. "And this is…" she frowned at her blonde aunt holding the wine bottle in her lap with a smile plastered on her face. "Gabrielle…"

"Nice to meet you both," he greeted and bowed his head. "You look too young to be Arielle's grandmother."

Xena smirked mockingly. "What a charmer you are, boy."

"We're just friends, grandma," Arielle reassured her.

Xena nodded her head slowly. "How old are you, Loric?"

"Uh, twelve." He answered nervously.

"I see." Three years older than Arielle, she thought.

Gabrielle leaned close to her partner's ear. "Be nice…." She whispered.

Xena forced a smile to make her granddaughter happy. "Have  _fun_." She squeezed Gabrielle's hand. Arielle and Loric walked off. Her eyes followed the boy and Arielle clinging close to his side, talking quietly. Gabrielle gasped as the bones in her hand began to snap and pop.

"Xena!"

"Sorry," she released her hand and Gabrielle stretched out her fingers. "Remind me to poison his kefir later."

Gabrielle wiggled her fingers and glared at the brunette beside her. She punched her in the shoulder and Xena hissed. "You will…do…no such thing," she slurred her words.

"Oh? Are you going to stop me?" she teased and Gabrielle wagged her head groggily. "I didn't think so."

* * *

The next day Xena stood over the table inside her yurt, making tea. Gabrielle was still asleep, sleeping off the wine just like everyone else in Pannonia. For once, she decided not to drink wine and keep herself alert throughout the entire celebration. She did enjoy seeing everyone falling over themselves and making a fool of themselves during the party. She especially enjoyed when Gabrielle collapsed into Dengi's lap and he had to drag her to the bed late at night.

She stirred a lump of sugar into the tea and turned around, hearing small footsteps approaching behind her. Cera grinned, holding a basket filled with paperwork. She assumed that paperwork was for Gabrielle, but there was no way that the appointed governor would be able to handle that mountain of work in the condition she was in.

"Good morning  _tatli kiz_ ," she greeted her redheaded granddaughter.

Cera set down the basket of papers and rose to her tip-toes to observe the glasses of tea, sugar and sugary bread. She sneakily reached forward, eyeing the bread and her hand was slapped. "I'm sure Kreka fed you already," Xena said and the little princess released a soft breathy puff.

"It's just  _one_  piece," Cera said with a cheeky smile and Xena raised her eyebrow, continuing to stir the tea, dissolving the sugar. "Please? Kreka Khatun says that I am too skinny anyway," she tried manipulating her grandmother but it wasn't working.

"Nice try." She walked away from the table and sipped the hot tea. Cera reached over to grab a piece of the sweet bread and Xena sat down on one of the floor couches. "Step away from the bread, Cera."

The princess groaned and folded her arms, feeling defeated. "I'm so bored," she whined and plopped down on the sofa, laying down dramatically draping her arm over her eyes. Xena shook her head and looked through the basket of papers while sipping the tea. "Everyone is sleeping!"

Her grandmother simply nodded and read over the documents that were assigned to Gabrielle. She frowned and flipped to the next page. Cera peeked under her arm and eyed her grandmother reading silently. "Ridiculous," she muttered and threw the paper to the side and picked up the next one.

So far Anastasia and Ellac were unable to convince Justinian to stay away from Pannonia and he threatened to take all of their tribes under his control. She was expecting them to return any day now since Constantinople wasn't too far from Pannonia. They were gone for the last month and given the statements on these papers, she knew that the outcome was not fruitful like everyone hoped. "Gabrielle, you are going to have so much fun reading this," she chuckled.

Cera crawled over to sit beside her grandmother and pretended to read the papers as if she understood everything. Xena peered down and the brown eyed princess smiled. "What's that?" she asked sweetly.

"Boring stuff."

"Politics?"

Xena stifled a laugh. "Yes, politics."

Cera smoothed out her blue dress. "Daddy says that politics are a waste of time."

Xena choked on her tea and coughed slightly. Cera pat her on the back gently with her small hand. "Really…?" she wiped her mouth and the princess nodded.

"Yeah! We should invade everyone!" the five year old stood up, clenching her fists with a menacing grin. "And then we will crush them like you did with the Romans!"

The commander nodded slowly and set the tea down and grabbed her granddaughter's hand. "Alright, no more story time with your sister." She advised and Cera pouted. "Hey, you're bored, right? Why don't you go wake up Gabrielle?"

"Okay!" Cera cheered and ran into the bedroom. "Gabby!" she yelled.

Xena snickered evilly when she heard the governor groan and moan in the next room.

* * *

Csaba's eyes fluttered open and ran his hand across his face. His head was banging from last night. He didn't know how much those Akitziri girls liked their wine and he wasn't exactly prepared to drink that much at the party last night. He sighed heavily and lolled his head over and saw the girl his grandmother forced him to talk to, in his bed.

He scooted backwards and fell out of bed. The young Hun woman woke up to a loud thud noise and crawled to the edge of the bed. She smiled down at the frantic prince. "Good morning." Her green eyes sparkled and her long hair fell over her head as she stared at him.

He realized that he was shirtless and quickly grabbed his robe and scurried off the floor and wrapped the robe around himself. Breathing heavily, he tied the sash around his waist and turned around, staring at the young woman. She flipped her hair over and tousled her midnight locks with her fingers. He awkwardly ran his fingers through his messy hair and coiled it into a bun atop of his head.

"How did you get in here?" he asked.

She chuckled softly. "You brought me here. You were very talkative last night. I didn't know you lived in the Adame."

His cheeks reddened. "Um, what exactly did I say?" he couldn't remember anything of what happened last night.

She shrugged. "Lots of things. Don't worry, it wasn't  _too_  embarrassing."

Not like that made him feel any better. "Listen, I don't want you to think that I treat women like this…" he trailed off, realizing he didn't even know her name and she was in his bed, dressed in a skin tight black gown. He averted his gaze as soon as he felt his stomach turn to knots. He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed in and out.

She laughed and rolled off the bed. "Don't worry, we didn't do anything. You passed out." She patted him on the shoulder and he tensed up instantly. She grabbed her gown that she wore the night before and went behind a screen to change.

He turned around as soon as he saw the dress fall to the ground behind the screen. "I…I'm sorry but I don't remember your name."

"It's Farah!" she called out and slipped the dress over her head. She walked out from behind the screen and he looked at her sultry eyes. She grabbed her thick black hair and lifted it up to her head. "Could you button this for me?" she asked and turned around.

He gazed at her open back and nervously began buttoning up her gown. He felt his palms begin to sweat and he held his breath as he buttoned the last button. "All done…"

Farah turned with a sweet smile. "Thank you." She grabbed her headdress and placed it on her head, adjusting the veil attached to it and smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress. "You know…I will be staying in Akitziri with my cousins for awhile. You should stop by sometime."

He rubbed the nape of his neck and nervously chuckled. "Oh I don't know about that."

"Well, I like spending time with you, Csaba. You were very…entertaining last night," she teased. "Would you escort me out?" she asked nicely and he immediately ran over and opened the door.

The two walked down the hallway and he knew that everyone would be asleep. He figured that his uncles were passed out from last night and most of the servants were in their yurts outside as well. He walked her to the foyer and she turned around, showing off her pearly whites.

"I'll see you later then?" she asked and he was too shy to answer. "I'll be staying with my cousins near the Bey's yurt. Ask the guards for me and I will come to see you." She said and walked outside, descending down the stairs.

Kreka saw the two talking and held an armful of dresses. She walked over to the smitten prince and cleared her throat. He jumped and whipped his head around with big fearful eyes. "Who was that?"

"Uh, just a girl."

She nodded and clicked her tongue against the inside of her cheek. She recognized the headdress the girl wore and the design of her dress. His eyes lingered on Farah as she trailed off across the field to find her cousins. "You know who that is, right?"

He felt a lump in his throat. "Um, no, not really."

"She's from the Banat province." She then saw the bemused look on his face. "It's a province next to Pannonia," she explained. "Judging by her clothing and headdress, she is probably a princess." She said with a smug grin and walked off.

Csaba stood in the foyer with a shocked face and big doe-like eyes as he watched the khatun leave the Adame with the gowns laden in her arms. There was no way that he could be involved with Farah now if she truly was a princess. Also, those Banat people weren't Huns but they spoke a similar language and had similar customs and traditions. They even wore similar clothing and had features like the Hun peoples did.

* * *

A rather haggard looking Gabrielle emerged from the bedroom and glared down at her conniving partner sitting on the sofa, looking over documents. Xena lifted her head with a big smile and raised her glass of tea. "Morning!" she purposely said louder than she normally would.

Gabrielle cringed and her head throbbed. She rubbed her cheek and groaned. "You are a terrible person."

"Love you too," Xena teased and flipped to the next page, reading over the documents sent over by Anastasia from Constantinople.

Cera ran into the sitting room after she rudely awakened the hung-over governor. "She's harder to wake up than Arielle!"

"I bet she is." She casually sipped her tea as she skimmed through the papers. "Hey Gabrielle!"

The blonde nearly tipped over the kettle as she was pouring herself a glass of tea. She closed her eyes and couldn't wait until she could get Xena back for this treatment. She clenched her jaw and finished pouring the hot tea.

" _What_?"

"I need you to look through this paperwork. It's from Constantinople. You're much better at deciphering through this Latin bull –" she eyed her sweet redheaded granddaughter and corrected herself, "stuff…"

Gabrielle grumbled and took a generous sip of the tea. "I'll look at it in a minute…"

Xena grinned deviously. "Cera, why don't you check on Bakkah? I'm sure Kreka Khatun is already over there." She said and Cera quickly ran out of the yurt eager to see her aunt. She turned to Gabrielle and leaned back leisurely on the pillows. "How's your head?"

The disheveled governor frowned and sipped her tea whilst glaring at her partner. "You sent her in to wake me up."

"Payback's a bitch isn't it?" Xena said with satisfaction. "Now, come look through these documents. You know I'm not good at reading Latin, especially in Anastasia's handwriting. Come on." She pats the empty spot next to her.

Gabrielle gingerly sat down on the sofa and Xena hid her sneaky smile then grabbed her glass of tea with the metal spoon in it. Gabrielle began looking through the first few pages that Xena had sorted and read through briefly. Xena looked at how focused she was and stirred the spoon harshly against the glass, making a loud clang noise.

Gabrielle cringed at the sound and scowled at her partner. "Stop that!"

"Stop  _what_?" Xena feigned innocence.

"You  _know_  what."

Xena tapped the spoon on the edge of the glass and Gabrielle's eyes bugged out and one of her eyes twitched slightly. She grabbed Xena's wrist to stop the infernal tapping. " _That_ …stop that…"

"Maybe you shouldn't drink an entire bottle of wine by yourself next time,  _governor_ ," she jabbed back at the frazzled blonde.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After a month long excursion to Constantinople, the meeting with Justinian did not bode well for anyone present. Ellac certainly lost his temper with the arrogant Byzantine Emperor and Anastasia wasn't able to save the deal that the emperor proposed years ago. Justinian promised not to invade the Hun Empire for awhile until he built up his own name and empire for himself.

That deal, sadly, was no longer in effect and Anastasia feared for the safety of her entire family and all the people present in the empire. Entering into Pannonia, she hopped off her horse and glared at her husband. She gave the horse to one of the stable boys and he ignored her harsh glare and handed off his horse as well. Adjusting his cloak she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

"That was a waste of a trip, Ellac!" she growled and he frowned. "Just what did you think you were doing back there? He could have killed us because of the way you acted! Now look what you have done, you've endangered our children and all the tribes under our reign!"

"So the peace treaty is off. We knew that was going to happen sooner or later," he said and she shoved him. Cera and Arielle were making their way over and he glared at his wife. "Let's not do this right now in front of them."

"Fine but this isn't over," she warned.

Cera ran towards Ellac and jumped into his arms. He kissed her cheek and she wrapped her legs around his waist, hugging him tightly. "You were gone so long!"

"I know but I will be staying here for awhile." He said and her entire face lit up.

"Did you bring me a present?" she asked curiously.

"Cera!" Anastasia chastised and she bit her lip.

Ellac smiled and brushed a tendril behind his daughter's ear. "Not this time. This trip was not very good." He explained in words that she could understand and she frowned confusedly. He moved on to a lighter subject. "So, did Bakkah have the baby yet?"

Arielle scoffed, "no and Kreka is getting really mad about it too," she snickered and Cera nodded vigorously.

"Grandma says that Kreka Khatun is  _very_  impatient," Cera added and Ana covered her mouth, laughing under her breath.

"Oh, mother," Arielle grabbed her hand, "grandma and Gabrielle are waiting for you inside."

Anastasia frowned at her husband and shied away from her, knowing what was going to happen later in that conference.

* * *

Gabrielle slammed down the papers on the floor and glared at two monarchs. "What the hell is this? You not only pissed off Justinian but he took the peace treaty away. Now he is definitely going to attack us."

Ellac wagged his finger back and forth. "No he won't. I have this under control."

"Do you?" Ana combated. "This is not how the meeting was supposed to go. Ellac ruined everything. He lost his temper and started making death threats against Justinian! He was never our ally but he certainly isn't our friend now! You ruined this peace treaty!"

Xena interrupted before Ellac was about to yell at her daughter. "What if you sent me and Gabrielle to Constantinople?"

"No offense mother, but you would probably kill him," the queen said and Gabrielle almost nodded in agreement.

"I will not. Right, Gabrielle?" she widened her eyes and the governor smiled sheepishly. "Come on! I'm much better now."

"You wanted to rip that boy in half at the party," Gabrielle mentioned and both monarchs frowned, eyeing the commander with pursed lips.

Anastasia crossed her arms. "What boy? And what party?"

Xena cast a large smile at her daughter. "Sweetheart," she began and her daughter's eyes bore into her. "It's no big deal. Nothing happened. The boy is fine. There was no party. Moving on to more important matters," she cleared her throat and Ana shared a wary look with Ellac. "So, Gabrielle and I should go talk with the emperor and sort this out. We can discuss a new treaty."

"I don't know mother, he is very difficult to deal with. He also hates Odoacer and the two are fighting over territories right now. He's going to target us next and who knows? Maybe Odoacer will team up with him and he'll wipe us all out!" she shot a mean glare at her husband.

Gabrielle massaged her temples and took in a deep breath. "I have an idea. I'll send Justinian a letter asking if we can meet to discuss a new treaty. If he declines then we go from there. How about that?"

Ana nodded and Ellac sat with a big frown on his face. She hit his shoulder and he nudged her back. "Works for me," he finally relented. "So, what went on while we were gone? Did you two throw a wild party?" he jested.

"Absolutely not," Xena lied and Gabrielle scratched her head anxiously. "Gabrielle will write the letter immediately and send off this afternoon. It'll take a couple of weeks to reach the bastard."

Anastasia's mouth gaped. "Mother you haven't even gone to speak with him and you're already calling him horrible names."

"It's in my nature," she joked and her daughter shook her head. "You should rest. You both look exhausted."

Ellac chortled and elbowed his wife. "They're trying to get rid of us."

All four of them exited the king's quarters and Xena bickered with Gabrielle as they walked far behind Ana and Ellac. Csaba waited patiently for his parents to get out of their meeting. He saw them walking towards the staircase to retire to their bedroom and he caught them before they could leave.

"Mother!" he called out and she spun around. "Nice to have you back," he smiled and looked at his father, "father."

"Csaba," Ellac raised his eyebrow, sensing that his son was going to ask him something urgent or something he wouldn't approve of. Even though he was technically an adult, he still had to ask permission from his parents to leave the premises especially after what happened with the Onogur tribe.

The prince looked at both his parents' light eyes and they folded their arms in unison. "I want to go hunting with Oran. I will be gone for a few days. Is it okay if I go?"

Anastasia frowned, not too fond of Ebnedzar's son even after all these years living with him and his family. "Do not go outside of Pannonia territory. Stay close by."

"I'm not a child."

"I don't care!" she yelled and he bowed his head. Ellac squeezed her arm and she softened. "Yes you may go."

He beamed and kissed both of her cheeks. "Thank you. I will be back in three days. I promise." He ran off and Ellac cocked his head confusedly. Anastasia trailed up the stairs and he followed her.

"You're too hard on him," he said in a hushed voice so others would not hear.

"I am not," she bitterly said.

"Yes you are. He is twenty one years of age, Ana."

"Shut up, Ellac," she lifted her robes and walked up the stairs. He slapped her behind playfully and she gasped then spun around and smacked his chest. He smiled charmingly at her and she shook her head. He hastily grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. "Ellac, put me down!" she slapped the back of his thighs as she hung upside down.

He held her ankles so she wouldn't whack him in the face and grinned as he walked up the stairs casually.

"You put me down right now!" she ordered.

"Not until we get to the bedroom," he whistled down the hallway and she groaned loudly, her arms dangling by her ears.

* * *

Two days after the conference, Gabrielle was able to write a lengthy letter to the emperor and hoped for the best. She really didn't want an Emperor Zeno repeat. He destroyed Pannonia and killed so many soldiers, not to mention, he nearly killed Xena, her best friend, her lover of many years. He didn't want that to happen again so she prayed to herself that Justinian would be somewhat amenable.

To distract herself, she thought that sparring with Xena would get her mind off of things. Although after the third fall to the ground she was beginning to regret this decision. She wiped the sweat off her brow and eyed the arrogant commander. She put up her wrapped fists and held them close to her face.

Throwing a punch forward, Xena blocked it immediately. She sent a roundhouse kick and that was blocked too by Xena kneeing her in the shin. Ignoring the pain settling into her body and the bruises forming, she decided to go for a move that Xena taught her many years ago. She ducked and slid beneath the wily commander and grabbed her by the arms and flipped her onto her back.

Proud of herself that finally got the commander on the ground she straddled her legs on either side of Xena's waist and pinned her arms to the grass. "Ha!" she spat in her face. "I finally got you."

"One out of fifty. Nice job, Gabrielle," she smiled and the governor gasped. "Get off me."

Gabrielle raised her eyebrow and bit her bottom lip. "There's nobody out here, Xena. We're all alone in this field. The camp is far away." She leaned downward and Xena's eyes widened and she softened her lips. Gabrielle head butted her in the forehead and then got off her.

Xena groaned and sat up, rubbing her forehead. "That was a dirty trick, Gabrielle."

"You fell for it!" she laughed loudly barely able to contain herself. She bent over, wrapping an arm round her muscular abdomen and laughed until she started crying. "You actually thought I was going to kiss you and you fell for it! I can't believe it."

"Yeah, yeah," Xena got up and brushed the grass off her pants. "I'm going to get you back when you least expect it." She unwrapped her wrists and threw the bandages into her saddlebag.

Gabrielle's smile faded and she slowly took the bandages off her wrists, taking a few steps back so her partner wouldn't retaliate. Xena smirked and jumped forward, scaring Gabrielle. She screamed and then covered her mouth and Xena chuckled deviously.

"That is not funny!"

"That should teach you not to mess with me."

Gabrielle scoffed and quickly tucked the bandages in the saddlebag and put her fists up in case she was going to get punched in the face. Xena climbed onto her horse and put a hand to her hip. "I'm not going to hit you."

"Not yet!" the blonde said.

The commander rolled her eyes and stretched her hand out. "Get on the horse, Gabrielle."

"How do I know you won't throw me off?"

"Just get on the horse."

"I don't know if I can trust you."

"Get on the damn horse!" she hissed and Gabrielle hopped onto the steed hesitantly and wrapped her arm around Xena's waist. "Hang on tight."

The governor's face drained of color and Xena kicked the horse then they took off riding down the hill. Gabrielle yelped and wrapped her other arm around her partner's waist, squeezing tightly so she wouldn't fall off. This must be all part of her plan, she thought. She kept thinking Xena was going to throw her off in the middle of the ride.

* * *

Ellac rolled over onto his side staring at his sleeping wife. He grinned and slipped his hand beneath the blanket and gradually lifted up her gown, tracing his fingers along her stomach. Anastasia frowned and slapped his hand.

"I'm trying to sleep," she mumbled.

He kissed her bare shoulder and his fingers traveled up her abdomen and cupped her breast. She groaned and rolled her shoulder backward. He smiled and brushed her hair behind her ear and nibbled her neck softly.

"For the love of god Ellac!" she snapped at him and rolled over onto her back, looking into his serene green eyes. From the look of it, he definitely wanted more from her and she cocked her eyebrow. His fingers started taking off the straps of her gown and she grabbed his wrist. "No!" she warned and his smile grew. "Ellac, no!"

She grabbed a pillow and smacked his face. Chuckling, he threw the pillow off the bed and wrapped one leg over hers. She pressed her hand against his lips and shook her head.

"Stay away from me," she warned and he grabbed her wrist away from his mouth and leaned down to kiss her and she turned her cheek. "No, no," she closed her lips and he grabbed her slender waist, pulling her close. "No, this is how I got pregnant with Cera."

"And?" he inched closer, kissing her neck.

She scoffed and punched his shoulder. "So, you should stay far away from me!"

"So you get pregnant again, who cares?" he smirked and she gasped loudly.

"Well, I care, thank you very much."

Ernak burst into the room and Anastasia screamed and hid underneath the blankets. He smiled at his brother and nodded. "So you two finally settle your differences, eh?"

"Ernak get out!" Ana yelled from underneath the blanket.

"Bakkah is finally in labor and I'm so excited!" Ernak said and Ellac plopped back down onto the pillows, gazing at the ceiling. "I hope it is a boy. I have the perfect name picked out. Mother is with Bakkah in the women's quarters. She won't let me come in but I will wait. I am patient. I have been patient for nine months." He said proudly and placed hands on his hips. "Nine months and three days..."

"Great, Ernak. Now leave," Ellac pointed to the door.

The younger brother nodded and slowly backed away and closed the door behind him. Anastasia ripped the covers off herself and punched Ellac in the shoulder.

He grunted and rubbed his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"How come you were never that excited with our children?" she scowled.

"Hey, I was  _very_  excited," he slyly grinned, holding a hand to his bare chest and she smacked his face with a pillow. He felt the bed move and he sat up, watching her struggle to grab her clothes. "Where are you going? We aren't finished here."

She wagged her finger. "Don't come near me," she said seriously. He ignored her and began climbing out of bed. "Don't! I mean it!" she grabbed her boots and ran into the bath chambers and closed the door. He sighed and leaned his shoulder on the door.

"Come on, Anastasia!"

"Don't you touch me or I will tell my mother!" she yelled from the other side of the door.

He cringed in disgust. "You ruined the moment."

"Good!"

* * *

Gabrielle slipped into the hot bath water and hissed as the water touched her bruises. She looked at the eyes floating above the surface of the water and stuck close to the edge of the bath. Xena smiled, creasing her eyes and Gabrielle smoothed water over her bare arms. Xena dipped down under the water and Gabrielle panicked, fearing that she was about to be pranked by her.

Xena rose to the surface and ran her palm over her wet hair and winked at Gabrielle. "Still scared?"

"Just a little bit," she muttered. Xena reached behind her and saw her flinch. She grabbed the vial of oil and waved it in her face. Gabrielle laughed nervously and swam to the other side of the bath.

Xena oiled her arms and then handed the vial over to her anxious partner. "You don't trust me?"

"Nope," Gabrielle was not afraid to admit that.

The commander rolled her eyes and set the vial down and ran the oil left over on her palms into her long hair. "Suit yourself, Gabrielle. More oil for me."

Gabrielle grumbled and sank further into the hot water and then saw Arielle walk up with a towel wrapped around her body. Oh good, a distraction, she thought. "Arielle, I didn't expect you to be up so early."

The princess shrugged. "Leila told me that I smell like a dog." She said and smiled. "Ladies," she turned around and took off her flats and Xena raised an eyebrow at the girl's hair drenched in mud and bits of grass.

"Arielle, what were you doing this morning?"

She froze and began taking the towel off slowly, revealing her thin body covered in dirt. "Oh you know, playing around outside." She quickly slipped into the hot water and wrapped her arms around her chest. Gabrielle shared a smug look with Xena. "What?" she began to panic.

"Better not be with that boy. You know the rules. I'd hate to have to tell your mother about this."

Arielle gasped, appalled that her grandmother would suggest such a thing. "Grandma, I'm shocked! You think I was with Loric? I was outside practicing my archery." She sank deeper into the water and Xena nodded.

"Uh huh then why are you covered in mud?"

"I told you, I was playing."

Gabrielle hid her smile and tried to play along with Xena's game. "I thought you were practicing archery?"

"Oh yeah…playing and archery. Same thing…" she nervously eyed the two women.

Xena frowned. "Arielle! You stay away from that boy or I will go talk to him myself and I know you don't want that."

Arielle's eyes grew in fear. "No, please! I promise I won't go around Loric anymore. We're just friends."

"That's what they all say, right, Xena?"

"That's right and when they get too close they might touch you or worse, even kiss you," Xena teased with a smile and was nudged in her shoulder blades. She scowled at the coy-playing blonde behind her.

"Grandma that is disgusting. I don't want to kiss him. He's my friend!" Arielle stuck her tongue out and reached for the vial of oil and both women eyed her small breasts and widened their eyes. Arielle casually poured the oil into her palm and saw their shocked faces. "What now?"

Xena kept her eyes glued to her granddaughter's chest and Arielle's cheeks reddened. "When…did you get  _those_?" she pointed at her chest and Arielle wrapped her arms around herself, slightly embarrassed. Gabrielle kept gawking as did Xena, at the nine, almost ten year old.

"Stop staring!" she pleaded.

"You're definitely not going to be around anymore boys," Xena shook her head.

Gabrielle gripped her shoulder and whispered, "They're not that noticeable. I mean, they're hardly there!" she tried to lighten the mood but got a slow head turn and a dagger for eyes glaring at her. "You're right.  _Definitely_  no boys," she nodded and swam away to conserve her life.

Xena swam closer to her granddaughter, making the poor girl even more nervous. "Nothing else has  _changed_  with you…right?" she whispered.

Arielle contorted her face in confusion and rubbed the oil into her curly hair. "No?"

"Good," she smiled and pats the princess on her head.

"You're not going to tell mother about this are you?"

"Are you crazy? If I told her she would lock you in a cage," Xena joked and Gabrielle laughed nervously but she knew that Anastasia might do something like that to her own daughter. Xena tried to keep her away from boys when she was a child and that didn't go too well.

"What?!" Arielle breathed heavily.

" _Tatli kiz_ , I'm just joking," Xena said and looked at Gabrielle with wide eyes."Seriously though, when did you get those?"

"Grandma!"

* * *

Csaba came to the Akitziri tribe just like Farah told him to and he met up with her in a secluded area after he asked to see her. He was lucky that he was the king's son because he didn't know if he would be allowed to see her. There were guards everywhere outside the yurt and they were all glaring down at him as if he had done something wrong.

When he first arrived he was nervous but he wasn't half as nervous until he actually was with Farah alone. She was very nice when they met back in Pannonia during the party and even though it was awkward when he awoke to her beside him in his bed, she was still very nice. He only had three days and he kept reminding her of that but she was not concerned about the amount of time they were spending together.

He had to leave in the morning so he would be able to make it back in time so his mother wouldn't kill him. So far, they walked together in the forest outside of camp and she asked him a lot of questions which he kindly answered. He told her that she was the prince of Pannonia and son of Ellac and Anastasia and she seemed very impressed by that.

He was too shy to ask her any questions so he let her do most of the talking. Their second day spent together they walked by the Caspian Sea and they were all alone. There were no guards, no civilians and no animals nearby either. His heart raced and she smiled at him and began undressing herself.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" he grabbed her hand so she couldn't unbutton her dress anymore.

"Going in the water?" she stepped away and stripped herself down to her undergarments which she wore a knee length black gown and he turned around. "You're really shy, aren't you?" she asked and he said nothing but closed his eyes in case she appeared in front of him. "It's not like I'm asking you to get naked. Besides, I've seen you without half your clothes on!"

His eyes shot wide open and he turned around, staring at her slender body in that tight dress and he sighed heavily. "Won't you get in trouble if we're gone too long?"

She folded her arms. "Won't  _you_? You didn't tell your parents where you are, did you?" and he lowered his gaze. "Me either. They don't know I'm here with you. So are you coming in the water or what? Or am I going in alone? I  _guess_  you can be my bodyguard," she shrugged and slowly backed away and into the water.

He watched her descend into the sea and now the water was up to her knees and she ran her fingers through her long hair. "I have a question," he said finally.

Farah nodded. "Go ahead, ask me."

"Are you from Banat?"

She sat in the water and bit her upper lip. "Maybe."

"Are you…someone  _important_?"

"Are you asking me if I'm royalty?" she asked and crossed one leg over the other showing her slender thigh. He anxiously kicked some dirt and she nodded. "Alright Csaba, yes, yes I'm royalty. Czarina Farah of Banat. Happy? Now will you come in the water?"

He smiled and wagged his head, not very eager to get in the water with this young woman. She was trouble and that look on her face was very enticing and seductive. He wanted to get in the water with her but he kept thinking of his mother and what she would say. He was told to treat women very nicely and this situation was not exactly what he wanted to be put in the middle of.

"How did you know I was from Banat?" she asked and splashed the water with her foot.

He didn't want to put Kreka's name out in the open so he lied. "You look like you're from there."

"Oh yeah? What do you think of the women of Banat?" she raised her eyebrow and rose out of the water, separating her wet locks with her fingers. She stepped closer to him and traced her fingers on his gold vest.

He took in a deep breath and looked into her light green eyes and big smile, complementing her olive colored skin. Erzibet was definitely not like this and he didn't know whether to step away or stay standing where he was.

"Um…" he stammered.

She wrapped an arm around his neck. "You don't think I'm pretty?"

"No! I mean, yes, you're very beautiful," he finally said aloud and she grinned from ear to ear.

" _Farah_!"

She gasped and shoved Csaba to the side. "Go hide behind that tree!" she whispered and he frowned then hid behind a tree. He peered over and saw a teenager in a blue dress and ornate headpiece walking towards the seashore.

"Farah, I've been looking everywhere for you," the girl smiled. "Where are your clothes?"

"Oh I was just swimming. What are you doing here, Ebru?" she folded her arms, smiling at her younger cousin.

"Your sister has been asking for you. We're supposed to have dinner in my father's yurt, remember?"

Farah nodded, playing along but she completely forgot about the dinner. "Oh right. I'll be there. Just let me get my clothes. I'll meet you at the yurt."

Ebru eyed the clothes sprawled across the sand and nodded. "Alright but don't be late again, okay? My father doesn't like it when you're late." She warned and walked off.

She breathed a sigh of relief and Csaba came out from behind the tree. "Listen, I have to go. You'll come to see me again, won't you? I'll be here for another month."

He was tempted to say no and he was already trying to figure out something to tell his parents so he could leave Pannonia again. "Yes, I'll see you."

"Great. What about in four days? Can you come back?"

There was no way he was going to be able to convince his mother and father to leave Pannonia again just a few days after he returned. "Sure," he said and inwardly kicked himself for saying that aloud. "Wait, what does 'czarina' mean?"

"It's like…a princess," she smiled and ran off with her dress and boots back to the tribe. Princess, he thought. Kreka was right. She definitely had a good eye for those things. He snapped out of his daze and ran back to where he kept his horse. He would return early and thought maybe that if four days passed by he could come up with another excuse to leave again.

* * *

Gabrielle sat in front of the mirror, brushing her short hair and eyed Xena through the mirror putting on her black tunic. "Ernak's son is so cute," she said and Xena nodded. "Arielle was so mad that it wasn't a girl."

"Wait a year I'm sure someone else will have another baby and then maybe she will get a girl cousin," Xena joked and rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. "I have to go train the army now. We are still meeting up later to spar, right?"

Gabrielle paused and an unsettling feeling overcame her. "Oh yeah, sure…"

"It's not a trick, Gabrielle." She grabbed her sword and black cloak lined with animal fur around the collar. "Or is it?" she wriggled her eyebrows and left the bedroom.

She stepped outside the yurt and threw on her cloak and saw Csaba walking towards the Adame. "Csaba!" she called and he turned around with a ghostly face. "Just in time. Ready to help me train the men?"

He thought that she knew something about Farah but was relieved to find out that she knew nothing. He smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course. I just need to get my sword," he thumbed at his home and she pulled out an extra sword from her belt. His smile dulled.

"I have one for you. This one is much better. Made in Banat. What do you think?" she admired the blade and his eyes went wide. She saw his expression and lowered the blade. "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh…uh, nothing. It's a really nice sword. Since when do you get your swords made in…Banat?"

"Since Gabrielle asked your father for more weapons. She really knows how to sway people with her words," she handed him the sword and he grabbed it, staring at the curved blade. "One clean swipe and it could slice someone in half!" she said with excited wild eyes and he cringed slightly at her enthusiasm.

"Grandma…that is brutal."

"Yeah…" she sighed, feigning concern. "Come on let's go. I can't wait to kick those men's asses in training. They won't be able to walk straight for a week!"

* * *

For the last couple of hours Xena had the young soldiers, just a few years older than Csaba and some even younger, running around the field to build their endurance. After she heard a few of the younger soldiers complaining of her strict regiment she decided to punish the entire army because of a small group of boys.

All two hundred of the young soldiers were doing pushups for the last half hour and Csaba stood in front watching sweat drip off their foreheads and some of their arms shaking as they held their sore bodies in the upward position of the pushup. He hated to say it, but he felt bad for these men.

She walked casually in front of the first line of men, eyeing them to make sure they didn't fall down while resting in the upward position. She eyed everyone carefully and heard two young teenagers, barely what she would call men, whispering to each other. She marched over to the two boys in front and they lifted their heads.

"Something you'd like to share?" she knelt down and the boys shook their heads.

"Grandma," Csaba began and she whipped her head around, "err…I mean commander," he corrected, "are you going to make them do pushups all day?"

She smiled and walked over to her grandson. "They need to learn discipline. They shouldn't mouth off in the middle of training. Down!" she yelled at the men and they grunted, forcing their bodies down to the ground and their chests two inches off the grass.

"I mean, shouldn't we be teaching them strategies and battle formations?"

"Csaba, we already have an army of thousands. These are new soldiers. They don't know how to do anything. So it's up to me to train them. Up!" she yelled and all the men groaned, pushing their bodies upward in the resting position. "And when your father comes to observe then he will see that these boys are ready for battle. Down!"

He nodded and his eyes scanned the two hundred young men struggling to keep their weight off the ground. "Maybe you're being too hard on them."

"Oh yeah? You think so?" she smiled wickedly. "Get on the ground!" she yelled and Csaba gasped.

" _What_?"

"Get on the ground!" she ordered and he dropped down to the ground in the downward pushup position just like all of the other soldiers.

Arielle walked into the training field and chuckled at all of the young soldiers moaning and groaning. She cocked her head at her brother and started laughing. "Csaba! Did you mouth off to grandma again?! When will you ever learn?"

"He thinks that he is better than everyone else," Xena said and Arielle kept laughing. "Up!"

Csaba grunted and shook his head listening to his sister laughing at his demise. He felt humiliated in front of all these young recruits. His grandmother was giving him the same treatment as the soldiers and he felt like definitely didn't deserve this.

"Tired already, Csaba?" Xena asked.

"No."

"No,  _what_?"

"No commander…" he grumbled.

Xena grinned and put her boot on her grandson's back and he struggled to keep his elbows straight. "Arielle, what are you doing here? You're not allowed in the training fields."

The princess wiped her eyes of the tears due to laughing so much. "Right, right. My mother wants to see you. She's with Gabrielle."

"Alright fine. Training is over for today but we resume in two days!" she said to everyone and all the men dropped their bodies to the ground, grunting and moaning. Their arms probably felt like limp noodles, she thought.

* * *

Xena walked into her daughter's room and found Gabrielle by her side talking in hushed tones. Becoming anxious as the doors closed behind her and her daughter staring at her with those big azure eyes, she approached both women and smiled.

"If this is about what happened with Loric. I think you should know that –"

"Xena!" Gabrielle hissed and Ana creased her eyebrows together.

"Who is Loric?" the queen asked.

The commander blinked rapidly and was hit in her back by the blonde governor. "Oh, nobody important. Anyway, so, Arielle said you wanted to see me. I hope this is important because I was in the middle of training those brats."

Anastasia looked at her mother and Gabrielle very carefully and decided to ignore whatever was going on between the two for now. She would figure it out later, she hoped. "Anyway, Arielle's birthday is very soon and I want her tenth birthday to be special. I had Tuya make her a dress a few months ago." She smiled gleefully and opened a large chest and pulled out a red and gold dress. "What do you think? I know she doesn't care for dresses but maybe I can get her to wear it for a few hours."

Gabrielle gawked at the tight bodice of the dress and Xena rubbed her chin, trying to hide her frivolous expression. "Um…the dress is a little tight," she said, trying not to hint anything about Arielle's sudden change in her figure. Xena snickered and Gabrielle elbowed her.

"Well, she is thin. Is it too tight? Do you think that Navaz will want her to wear a looser dress?"

"Yes!" she said immediately and Xena simply nodded along with Gabrielle's exclaim.

"I suppose I could ask Kreka to loosen the seams." She sighed and lifted the dress, cocking her head from one side to the other as she stared at the bodice of the gown. "Tuya might get angry if Kreka alters the dress. She worked very hard on this. I think it will be fine." She smiled and Gabrielle averted her gaze. "You both hate it, don't you?"

Xena shook her head. "No, the dress is very beautiful, Anastasia. You know that she just…doesn't like dresses."

"But Tuya made it and she will want to see it on Arielle. She can wear it for two hours during the party and take it off."

Xena gently patted her daughter's shoulder. "Good luck with that." She turned to Gabrielle. "So, ready to spar or what? I'm on a roll, Gabrielle. I made those boys do pushups for half an hour and they ran around the field for two hours."

The governor looked at her partner nervously and stuttered. "Well, uh, I don't know…I…"

"What's the matter? Are you scared?"

"No!"

"Then let's go spar. I'm ready to kick your butt, governor. Come on, show me what you got."

"Why don't we play a game of chess instead?" she suggested and Xena folded her arms. "Okay, I can tell that you really want to spar so…I guess we can…" she ran out of the room and Xena scoffed.

"Did you see that?" Xena looked at her irked daughter. "She is just waiting to taste grass!" she clapped her hands together and briskly walked out.

Anastasia sighed and folded the dress up and placed it back into the chest. She knew that Arielle was going to throw a fit when she had to tell her to wear the dress but she hoped that her daughter would at least obey and wear it until Tuya saw her in it.

She had been planning this party for the last three months and her own mother never gave her a special birthday when she turned ten for many reasons. She wanted to make sure that her daughter had everything that she wanted and more. Although, she never felt like her mother neglected her as a child. In fact, she was always there for her every single birthday except one. She always gave her gifts and made her feel as special as she could no matter what was going on. There could have been a war or battle going on but she always made sure to send gifts or come back on her birthday.

"Mother," Csaba walked into the room and she spun around with a smile on her face.

" _Tatli cocuk_ , thank you for coming back on time. You know I don't like you spending time with Oran especially when you two go hunting." She raised her eyebrow and he bowed his head. "So, what did you catch? A fox?"

He didn't want to look at her in the eyes because then she'd know that he was lying so he looked at the dress inside the chest. "Is that for Arielle's party?" he asked and she frowned at him.

"Yes…"

"She will look great in that dress," he stalled and she folded her arms, suspicious of him dodging the question. "I was going to ask if I could go hunting again. Oran and I weren't that lucky. We didn't catch anything."

"Again? Csaba, your sister's birthday is in five days. I don't want you getting into trouble."

He only needed three more days until he could see Farah again. He didn't want to break his promise but he also didn't want to anger his mother either. He knew how important this party was to her. He watched her work on it for months and send letters to Navaz, Fairuza and Tuya.

"I'll only be gone a day this time. I'll be back in time for Arielle's birthday party. Don't worry mother!" he gave her a big smile and she squinted one of her eyes, boring into his soul.

"Alright…" she garbled. He grabbed her into a hug and kissed her cheek. "Stop it," she slapped his arm and he laughed nervously. "Just like your father. Now I know where he gets it."

Ellac stepped into the room and Anastasia gasped, hiding behind her son. "Ana, you've been ignoring me for days now."

Csaba cringed at his father and looked at his mother's frightened face. "What is going on here?"

"Stay away from me," she pointed at her husband. "I have tea. Kreka gave me some."

Ellac crookedly smiled. "Good. So now will you come to the bedroom or what?"

Csaba groaned. "Nauseating. I'm leaving."


	3. Chapter 3

**This is starting off slow but the next few chapters won't be slow. I've written seven chapters for this a month ago lol. Enjoy :)**

Chapter 3

Arielle stood in front of the mirror in her room and frowned deeply. She adjusted the long sleeves and turned to the side, examining herself and brushed her palms down the tight fitted bodice. "I look stupid."

Xena bit her bottom lip and Gabrielle got off the bed to fix the dress's train. "You look very pretty, Arielle."

"Gabrielle, be honest, I look ridiculous."

"She's right. Let's just forget this whole dress thing," Xena agreed and the princess nodded excitedly.

"No! Tuya wants you to wear this dress to your party tomorrow. She's going to be very disappointed if you don't wear it," Gabrielle said and leaned her cheek against Arielle's as they both gazed at the beautiful red dress through the mirror.

Arielle grunted and turned around, glaring at her grandmother. "Tell mother I don't want to wear this dress."

"No can do, princess," Xena slowly shook her head. "You're wearing the dress. Your mother wants you to have a huge birthday party so you want to make her happy, right? She's been working on this party for months…"

"She has?" now she felt bad for making such a fuss over the dress. It was a pretty dress but she really hated wearing them and wished she could wear a pantsuit like her brother did to parties. Cera was more of a lover of dresses than she ever was. She loved to dress up in extravagant dresses and of course Ellac bought her whatever she wanted when she wanted. Arielle hated clothes shopping and would be perfectly fine with one pair of pants and a nice tunic. But no, she had to wear a dress.

She relented. "Well, I guess I can wear this just for one night…" she half grinned and Gabrielle tousled the girl's curls. "Only for mother."

Kreka came into the room carrying a tray of food and she gasped upon seeing Arielle in the dress. Her eyes were particularly focused on her chest and Arielle immediately covered her small breasts. "When did she get those?"

Xena shrugged her shoulders and Gabrielle slapped her forehead.

"What's the big deal? You have them, grandma has them, mother has them, and Gabrielle has them!" Arielle shouted and marched towards the changing room. "That's it! I'm taking this dress off!"

"She can't wear that dress," the khatun set the tray of food down and Xena leaned backwards on the bed and picked at the fruit. She slapped her hand and Xena frowned but was able to grab a few pieces of fruit. "If Anastasia sees Arielle in that dress she's going to follow her with a shawl everywhere during the party."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "They're not that big. You can barely tell they're there!"

"You would know," Kreka jabbed and Xena's eyes widened and she stuffed the fruit in her mouth, staying out of this brewing argument.

"Hey! I haven't heard any complaints yet…" Gabrielle smugly smiled and eyed Xena.

Kreka's face contorted in slight disgust and she poured a glass of juice for Arielle and caught Xena stealing more food. "Stop that!" she reprimanded and Xena scooted to the other side of the bed, licking her fingers. "Does Anastasia know…"

"Ha! No." said Xena.

"Good. Tuya just arrived with Fairuza and Navaz. Just to give you a heads up she's probably going to come in here and ask Arielle to try on the dress."

That was enough for Xena and she leapt off the bed. "Let's go Gabrielle before the witch arrives." She grabbed her hand and ran to the door and opened it. She frowned when she was face to face with Tuya.

The White Hun queen put on a false smile. "Xena."

"Tuya."

"Did you do something new to your hair?"

Xena bit her tongue. "No…"

"Well, it looks different. Perhaps you brushed it," Tuya's smile widened as she saw the commander's anger unfolding slowly. "You're in my way."

Xena gallantly stepped aside and allowed the queen to walk through the doorway. She then pulled Gabrielle with her and left as soon as Tuya walked into Arielle's room. There was no way she was going to be in the same room as her. It was bad enough that she had to spend a few days with her because of Arielle's birthday.

* * *

Farah pinned Csaba to a tree and looked into her wild eyes. She ran her hands along his sides and smiled. Sweat droplets fell down his cheeks and he grabbed her roaming hands before she got underneath his tunic. "Farah!" he whispered, paranoid that someone would catch them by the seashore again. It was a close call last time but he didn't want to get her and him in trouble.

"What's the matter? Don't you like me?" she pressed her body against his and looked up at the sky, praying silently. "My uncle is busy and my sister is sewing a dress. We have the entire sea to ourselves."

He nodded and flipped her around and pinned her to the tree. Her eyes widened and she grabbed his belt, pulling him close. "Dear god," he muttered. Breathing heavily he stepped away from her. "Listen Farah, you're a very nice woman. You're very beautiful but we can't do this."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know you that well! And besides, I need to get back home. My sister's birthday party is tomorrow."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Prefect. I can come to the party. I'll bring my sister with me."

His heart raced. "Um, I don't think that's a good idea. Kreka Khatun saw you and so did my grandmother."

"Your grandmother?" she snickered. "What is she going to do? Kill me?"

"Maybe," he muttered. "My grandmother isn't like most grandmothers. She's the commander for my parents' empire."

She gasped. "Your grandmother is the commander of Attila?" she pulled away and clenched her fists and grinned. "That is uncanny," she playfully hit his shoulder. "She is from my cousin's tribe! She and I will get along great. So when does the party start? I would love to meet your sister."

"What?" He couldn't believe that she was just inviting herself to his kid sister's party. "I don't want my parents to find out about you, Farah. It's bad enough that I lied to my mother twice to come see you."

She cast a seductive smile and grabbed his vest and lifted her chin coming dangerously close to his lips. "They don't have to know anything. I'm just visiting my cousins in Akitziri. I heard that the Princess of Pannonia is having a party and came to pay a visit. I can bring her a fabulous gift. What does she like? Jewelry? Gowns? Shoes?"

"Bows."

"Bows?" she frowned. "Okay, well, I don't know if I have any of those but I will bring something. And then maybe you can slip away during the celebration and take me to your room…" she traced her finger along his cheek and he gazed into her big green eyes.

"Um," he stammered.

She rose to her toes and kissed him generously. His eyes widened and she pulled away, wiping his lip with the back of her thumb. "So, I will see you at the party then?" she said and he stood frozen and speechless. "My sister is kind of overbearing so make sure you stay far away from her. She doesn't like it when men are around me."

Can't imagine why, he thought.

* * *

Anastasia was busy poking her daughter in the head as she tried pinning her curly hair back as slick as she could. Arielle whined for the last couple of hours and pouted in her chair, looking at herself in the mirror. She didn't like wearing dresses and she didn't like to look pretty either. She especially hated it when she was being poked and prodded by a bunch of women.

Xena sat on one of the chairs inside Arielle's bedroom watching Ana, Tuya and Kreka hover over the poor girl, arguing over her hair and her attire. Anastasia had yet to see her daughter in the dress Tuya made and Xena was waiting for that freak out moment the minute she saw Arielle in the dress.

Meanwhile Gabrielle sat in the next chair next to her and looked over a few papers that Ellac gave her late in the afternoon. She hurried to read over the documents so she could have time to process everything before the party began. She tried to ignore the women bickering and Xena chuckling. She was probably enjoying the little amount of chaos in the room, Gabrielle assumed.

She flipped the page over and scratched her head. "Xena, these papers aren't right. Ellac must have given me the wrong ones."

Xena was too busy watching her daughter fighting with Tuya and she had a big smile on her face too. Every time she heard a foul word out of her daughter's mouth, her smile grew and Tuya's brown eyes enlarged, completely enraged at her.

"Xena…"

"What?" she turned to the confused governor. "Sorry Gabrielle. What did you say?"

"It's these papers. Ellac sent them over to me earlier but I don't think these are right. I thought he was going to give me more papers about Odoacer and Justinian but this is about the Czar of Banat." She frowned and spoke silently to herself, counting how many papers she had read already. "I don't know anything about the Czar of Banat. I've never been there before. Have I?"

Xena sighed. "I don't think so or I would have remembered meeting a Czar." She turned her attention back to the bickering queens and snickered. Three queens in the same room was an awful idea. If only Fairuza was here and then it'd be a party.

"Well the Czar is asking to join forces with us. He wants to combine armies. Justinian is threatening to invade the Banat province." She grunted and flipped through the next several pages. "Where the hell is Banat anyway?"

"It's south of Pannonia," the commander answered while her eyes were firmly glued to Tuya and Ana squabbling in their native tongue while Arielle sunk down in the chair, covering her ears. She turned her head and noticed Gabrielle becoming very frazzled looking over the documents. "Banat is a province inside Transylvania. They're Szekely people. Definitely not Huns but similar."

Gabrielle huffed and stared at the mass amount of paperwork. There was no way she would be able to look through everything in time tonight. "Well, what's so special about these Szekely people?"

Xena shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe Ellac wants to expand the empire into new territory." She witnessed Kreka step in between the two warring queens to break up the argument. "This is so funny."

The governor raised her eyebrow and stacked up the papers and put them inside her satchel. "Xena, this isn't a sport and you are far too entertained by this."

"If Ana swings at Tuya she will send her flying into the wall. I will definitely bet that Anastasia can take her."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes.

Arielle got out of the chair and stood in between her grandmother and mother. "Enough! Screw this party! I'm not going!" she stomped off into the changing room and slammed the door. Xena puckered her lips and tapped her fingers on her knee. Now everyone was standing in the room in awkward silence.

Anastasia folded her arms and glared at Tuya. "This is all your fault. If you would have just let me do her hair then none of this would have happened!"

"Well, you were doing it wrong," the queen spat back. "She looks like a sheep. You don't know how to tame her hair."

"You know what –"

"Ladies," Xena stepped in and grabbed her daughter's arm firmly. "Kreka can finish Arielle's hair. Anastasia why don't you go put on something nice and I'll handle the White witch?" she said and Ana muttered curse words under her breath and stormed out of the bedroom.

Tuya lifted her chin to snub the commander. Xena stepped forward and clamped her hand onto the queen's shoulder roughly. She gasped sharply and brushed the hand off. "Get away from me."

"This isn't about you, Tuya. Today is Arielle's birthday and you just ruined it for everyone. You've upset my daughter and my granddaughter. That's a new score for you."

"She's my granddaughter too."

"Sure didn't appear that way a few minutes ago. Go apologize to her," she pointed at the door Arielle was hiding behind. The White Hun queen frowned and then brushed by Xena.

Gabrielle stood in between her partner and the khatun. "So, we should probably get ready…" she suggested. "Xena, why don't you wear that dress you wore to Ana's last senlik?"

"Forget it!"

"This is your granddaughter's birthday party! Don't you want to look nice?"

"We're not doing this again. I said I wasn't wearing any more dresses. You can't force me to do this."

"You know, if you don't wear a dress then Arielle probably won't wear hers…" she hinted and pinched the stubborn woman's arm.

Xena slapped her hand. "I see what you're doing Gabrielle, but no."

"You're wearing the dress."

"I see you want another beating. You like the taste of grass in your mouth, Gabrielle, because I can make that your main course."

* * *

Once Tuya finally convinced Arielle to put on the dress, which took longer than expected, Kreka finished her hair and they went into the large ballroom in the back of the Adame. Arielle sat in a large throne, already bored of the party. Everyone in Pannonia came to her party and she didn't know half of these people personally. They mostly the soldiers of the army and families that lived in the outskirts.

Some of Ebnedzar's shaman group came to the party. He was accompanied by his two wives and three children. Oran stood by Csaba and the two talked quietly among themselves while they were eyeing all the girls passing by them. Most of the girls in Pannonia were too young and only a few years older than Arielle was. The women in the tribe were mothers and had families as well.

Xena walked into the ballroom with Gabrielle, wearing the black dress she wore to Anastasia's senlik. Gabrielle was fixing her fringe and then reached upward and fixed Xena's thick bangs as well as they walked together. Xena grumbled and slapped her hand away again.

Kreka carried a present given by Bakkah and spotted Xena and smirked. "Well, don't you look pleasant."

"I don't want to hear it." groused Xena.

Anastasia walked into the room with Ellac on her arm and she smoothed her palm over her slicked back hair. "You look fine," he whispered and she frowned, fixing the pins in her large bun on her head. He saw Xena standing with Gabrielle and the two were bickering. "Your mother wore a dress. Can't wait to make fun of her."

"Ellac, please, I don't want any more altercations." She smiled upon seeing her bored daughter in the red dress Tuya made for her. "Arielle, you look very pretty."

The princess grimaced at her mother and rested her cheek on her palm. "I look ridiculous."

"No, you don't. You should wear dresses more often. Tuya did a good job." She admired and fixed the veil on her daughter's head and brushed it behind her shoulders. She fixed the bodice and then noticed her daughter's chest and her eyes widened. She immediately covered her chest with the veil again and scanned the room, looking for Navaz. "Have you seen your father?"

"He's probably with Fairuza or something," mumbled Arielle. "Mom, can I take this off now?"

"No, no. I want your father to see you in the dress," she said and then was bombarded by her mother and Gabrielle. "You look nice," she smiled at her mother.

"Doesn't she?" Gabrielle wriggled her eyebrows.

Ellac approached the women with a glass of wine for himself and one for his wife. He couldn't help but smile seeing Xena in a dress. No matter how many times she told Gabrielle no, she always ended up wearing a dress in the end.

"Xena, looking good."

She slapped his chest and he lifted the wine, nearly spilling it all over his gold robes. He still had a smile plastered on his face and stepped over to stand beside Gabrielle. "So, were you able to look at the papers I sent you?" he asked, changing the subject.

She nodded. "Yes but I don't understand why the Czar wants to combine armies. Is Justinian really going to invade Banat? I've never been there. I didn't know Justinian would care about such a small province."

He laughed. "Banat isn't small! Besides, they have a lot of gold mines. They have the wealthiest province in the area. I was thinking that we could be friends with the Szekely people. They have similar customs to ours and I know  _you_  are good at talking to people."

"You want  _me_  to go talk to the Czar?" she asked with a deadpanned face.

"See I knew you would agree. I made the right choice appointing you to governor. Xena will go with you and convince the Czar to side with us."

She held her tongue and Xena looked at all the guests and spotted Navaz talking with Fairuza. Anastasia left the group and hurried over to him.

"If you want Xena to come then that means this is an invasion," she said, grabbing his attention. Xena spun around as soon as she heard the word 'invasion'.

"Who's invading who?" Xena asked, more intrigued by this conversation than the party.

Ellac nodded and looked at her and Gabrielle. "Nobody is invading anyone. I just want you two to go to Banat and tell the Czar to submit to us."

"Invasion it is," Xena grinned.

"Xena, no. This isn't an invasion. If they try to attack then we invade," he assured her and she frowned, a bit disappointed. "But enough talk of politics. This is a party!"

* * *

Csaba's eyes turned to the entrance of the ballroom and saw Farah walk in alongside her sister. He focused on her gold and black gown and her elaborate headdress. Her sister seemed to be the older one and she looked very annoyed being at this party. Farah obviously had to convince her sister to tag along.

Oran slightly knuckled his cousin in the shoulder. He followed his eyes fixated on Farah. "Who's that?" he asked, a bit intrigued and Csaba frowned at his cousin eyeing Farah. He didn't know Farah all that well but given that Oran was Ebnedzar's son and he also had his father's charm and good looks, he was definitely going to try to talk to her.

He had to remember that he couldn't tell anyone that he was secretly seeing Farah so he played along. "I don't know who she is," he said through clenched teeth. Farah walked through the crowd with her sister and looked over at him and smiled.

Oran raised his eyebrows. "Hey, she just looked at you," he nudged his cousin. "She's stunning. She's more gorgeous than the women here in Pannonia and Suevi combined!" he smiled.

Farah saw the princess sitting on the throne with a bored face. She was surrounded by the queen, she assumed and other women she didn't recognize and four men. She also assumed one of them was the king of Pannonia which meant they were Csaba's parents.

She grabbed her sister's hand and ushered her towards the throne. Arielle sat up straight on the throne when her mother pinched her arm. "You must be Princess Arielle," she said.

"Yes…" Arielle scanned the young woman's dress and headpiece which was an unusual shape. None of the women here wore veiled headdresses that were in the shape of a cone. "Who are you?"

"Arielle, be polite," Anastasia whispered. "I'm sorry. She's a little anxious."

"No I'm not."

"Arielle!" she hissed and smiled at Farah.

Farah chuckled and held a large long box in her arms. "You must be the queen," she guessed and Anastasia nodded. "It's very nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you. I'm Farah, the Czarina of Banat and this is my sister, Rabia, also the Czarina of Banat." She introduced and Rabia briefly smiled at the queen and princess.

Ana's smile widened. "You came all the way from Banat to come to this party?" she asked confusedly.

"Oh, no I'm staying with my cousins in Akitziri. I heard the princess' birthday was today and wanted to stop by." She said and presented the present in Arielle's lap. "Happy birthday, princess."

Arielle took the gift graciously and took the top off the box and gasped. She pulled out a gold sword and hopped off the throne. "Wow! This sword is amazing!" she waved the sword around testing its weight and Anastasia frowned. Ellac wrapped his arm around her waist and she held her tongue. "Thanks!" she smiled at the Czarina.

"I should introduce you to everyone," Anastasia placed a hand on Farah's shoulder and turned around to her husband. "This is Ellac, my husband and King of Pannonia," she said and Farah bowed her head curtly. "And this is Navaz, King of Balaam. He's Arielle's father."

Farah smiled at the king. "Very nice to meet you," she said nicely and Rabia stood behind her with a scowl on her face.

"And this is Queen Fairuza of Balaam, Navaz's wife." She introduced and the redheaded queen smiled at the young Czarina. "And Queen Mother, Tuya, Navaz's mother."

Farah saw the unhappy look on the queen mother's face and gave her a forced smile. Tuya raised her eyebrow and tersely grinned back at her. Farah and her sister were escorted down the line and Xena sipped her wine, watching all the guests talking and dancing. Gabrielle sat beside her and lifted her head when she saw Ana with two guests accompanying her.

"And this is my mother, Xena –"

"Commander of the Hun Empire," Farah finished her sentence and Xena lowered the wine glass from her mouth. "It is so nice to finally meet you. My uncle talks a lot about you."

"Does he?" Xena muttered and continued drinking her wine and Gabrielle gave her a nudge in the arm.

Anastasia sighed at her mother's behavior and brought Farah over to Gabrielle. "This is our governor, Gabrielle. She is in charge of all the empire's paperwork and political warfare."

Farah bowed her head. "Pleasure to meet you both," she greeted with a warm smile and Gabrielle nodded. Xena ignored the two Banat women and scanned the ballroom whilst drinking her wine.

"And last but not least, Kreka Khatun," Ana said and the hazel eyed khatun looked at the gorgeous olive skinned woman with black hair. Farah knelt down and kissed her hand and Kreka's mouth parted.

Slightly amused by the manners of this young woman, Kreka smirked and remembered seeing this girl come out of the Adame with Csaba after the party. "And who are you,  _tatli kiz_?" she asked, claiming ignorance.

"Farah, Czarina of Banat and my sister, Rabia," she said and the khatun nodded. "I've heard so much about you. You are a great warrior. My father says that he sends his condolences about your tribe, khatun."

Kreka nodded at the girl. Farah then sighed and turned to Anastasia. "It was really nice to meet your family, your highness. I think my sister and I will mingle for awhile if you don't mind." She said and Ana nodded then the two Banat women made their way through the sea of people.

Arielle ran up to Xena and Gabrielle, showing off her new present gifted by Farah and Rabia. "Grandma, look at my sword! It's awesome!"

Xena smiled at her granddaughter. "It's a fine weapon, Arielle. Make sure to be extra careful with it. Remember what your mother said."

The princess nodded. "I know, I remember. Farah gave it to me! This is the best present I got this evening!"

Gabrielle frowned. "You didn't like my gift?"

"Oh yeah, Gabby, I love the pen set you gave me. It will come in handy when I learn Chinese this summer," she stroked the governor's ego. "I must show Csaba my new sword!" she ran off raising the sword in the air and Anastasia covered her eyes in horror.

Gabrielle leaned over to Xena. "The Czarinas of Banat suddenly appear at Arielle's party after I just got those papers about the Banat army joining forces with us. Isn't that strange?"

Xena shrugged. "Probably just a coincidence, Gabrielle. I saw that girl at the party and told Csaba to talk to her." Her eyes followed the Banat women and she saw Farah walking over to Csaba and she hid her smirk behind the wine glass. "And now we know the real reason why she showed up to the party. Take a look," she nudged her head at her grandson and the Banat girls.

Gabrielle gasped and saw Farah standing very close to Csaba. "She likes him."

"And why shouldn't she? He has my good genes," she smiled smugly and Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "And now Oran looks jealous."

"Xena, you are ridiculous; using your family as a means of amusement."

"Well they shouldn't make it so easy. I'm surprised Kreka hasn't punched Tuya in the face. I'm surprised  _I_  haven't," she chuckled and Gabrielle slapped her in the arm and she spilled wine all over her black dress. "Gabrielle!"

"Oops. My hand must have slipped," the governor turned her cheek and Kreka snickered lightly at the two teasing one another.

* * *

The next morning Farah slipped out of the Adame before anyone was awake. She told her sister to wait for her outside. Csaba escorted her out of his room and she adjusted her headdress and walked down the stairs with a big smile on her face. She looked at the mug on her sister's face and she sighed heavily.

Rabia grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "You slept with that prince, didn't you?" she whispered.

"Why are you always breathing down my neck, Rabia? Get off me!" she pushed her elder sibling and walked off, fixing her hair beneath the gold veil.

"Because you are already promised to Pascal!" she hissed and Farah turned around to see if anyone was listening. "I will not have a whore for a sister, Farah. I will tell father about this and he will be so angry with you. He might even lock you in the palace."

Farah smirked and folded her arms, looking into her sister's brown eyes. "Then maybe I should tell father that your husband has been seeing another woman for the past three years."

Rabia lowered her gaze and turned away, not sure if she should be enraged or hurt. "You can't do that. Balasz is the General of the army."

"Oh right, of course. Wouldn't want to ruin father's reputation. Just because you're stuck in a loveless marriage doesn't mean that you can tell me what I can and cannot do. Stay out of my life, Rabia." She said firmly and her sister exhaled heavily. "I like Csaba. He is really nice to me. I don't like Pascal. He doesn't treat me like Csaba does. He's rude to me and only wants me to bear him sons and that's it."

"Then that's what you will do because you are marrying Pascal. You stay away from that Hun, Farah. You will marry your own kind and that's the end of it. Let's go back to Akitziri before uncle sends scouts to look for us. We should have never come here in the first place." She walked ahead and turned around, glaring at her sister. "Are you coming?"

Farah folded her arms. "I don't see you bearing Balasz any children. Maybe he already has a child with his mistress." She smirked and Rabia enlarged her eyes.

"Farah!" Anastasia called out and waved her hand. Both of the Banat women turned around and Rabia put on a smile for the Hun Queen. "I wanted to thank you for giving Arielle a present. You didn't have to do that."

Farah grinned and fixed the sleeves on her gold dress. "Well, it's no trouble. It's handmade from my province. I hope she enjoys it."

Ana nodded and looked at the stern elder sister. "It was surprising of you two to drop by."

"Surprising indeed," commented Rabia. "It was very nice meeting your family, your majesty but we really need to return to Akitziri."

"Of course. I am sure we will be seeing more of you soon."

Rabia frowned and Farah's face lit up. "What are you talking about?"

"Your father asked us to aid him against Emperor Justinian," Ana said and looked at the shocked faces of the Banat women. "You are always welcome here."

The two sisters thanked her and then went on their way. Anastasia frowned and walked back to the entrance of the Adame where her mother and Gabrielle waited patiently for her return. "I want you two to go to Banat and talk to the Czar. Bring a legion with you and don't come back until he submits to us. Justinian will have received the letter by now. I expect an answer from him within the next couple of weeks."

Xena nodded and sheathed her freshly sharpened blade. "Finally. I get to do something other than babysit your daughters."

Ana gasped.

"I love them dearly you know that but I might just kill them if they wake me up in the middle of my sleep one more time," she said with a big grin. "Let's go Gabrielle before she erupts." She teased and Gabrielle gave Anastasia an apologetic look and skipped down the stairs.

Anastasia rubbed her temples and walked into the foyer. Csaba walked out without a shirt on and just in his pants and barefoot. He gasped sharply upon seeing his mother and her head only throbbed more. " _Tatli cocuk_ , where are your clothes?"

"Um…uh…" he suddenly felt self conscious with his mother's eyes on half naked body. "I was just going to the bathhouse."

Ernak walked through the foyer carrying an armful of baby clothes that his mother gave him for his son. He halted, nearly bumping into Csaba. He whistled and checked out the biceps on his nephew. "Csaba, you been working out?" he teased and Csaba frowned. "Have you been training with Xena and the recruits? I hear she tore those boys up for days."

"Go away, Ernak."

"Fine, I'm going." Ernak walked by Ana and chuckled at her surprised face.

"I should…get going too." He rubbed his neck and quickly evaded his mother. He knew that she was going to ask questions and he didn't want to answer any of them.

Ellac stretched his arms over his head and approached his wife. He kissed her temple and wrapped an arm around her slim waist. She seemed more distant than usual and he thought that she was over him touching her after last night. He ran his fingers along her gown and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You drank the tea right?" he asked and she slowly nodded her head. "What's wrong?"

"I just saw more of our son than I needed to." She shivered and pushed her handsy husband away. "I just sent Gabrielle and my mother to Banat to meet with the Czar."

"Already? I didn't get to brief Gabrielle!" he complained.

"She'll be fine. They'll both be fine. She knows how to sway people and if my mother intervenes then we should expect a war," she smiled and paddled his cheek then walked back up the stairs.

He followed her and chastised her as well. "We aren't sending your mother on these diplomatic missions anymore! You know how she is, Ana!" he griped and she ignored him. "Ana? Anastasia!"

**The Szekely people of Banat are from Transylvania, which is now modern day Romania. Although they are not mentioned in the previous stories, they did have some sort of agreement with Attila so he wouldn't invade their land. This agreement remained intact until Prince Csaba came and caused uproar with Banat.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Hun legion rode into the Banat province within the Transylvania territory south of Pannonia and Gabrielle slowed her horse to a steady trot. Her eyes wandered around her new surroundings and she was astonished at how many buildings this place had. There were no yurts here and there certainly weren't any Adames here either. She saw a huge palace with tall towers up ahead and figured that's where the Czar lived.

Ellac was right, this place was very wealthy. All the women wore gorgeous dresses and elaborate headdresses. The women from Pannonia and other Hunnic tribes did not dress the same. Only the royal families were allowed to wear more expensive clothing items. Even the children in this place dressed like they were all princesses and princes. She hated to see what the royal family of the Czar dressed like. She briefly saw the Czarinas at Arielle's party and they were dressed very nice, but she guessed that those gowns were nothing compared to what else lay in their closets.

"Xena, these people are nothing like the Huns," she whispered.

The commander was beginning to notice that the moment she rode into this place. "No wonder Ellac wants to expand the empire. These people are filthy rich."

"And that explains why Justinian wants to invade Banat." She commented. Her eyes lingered on the citizens and they cast scowls at her and especially at Xena. She got the feeling that these people weren't too fond of Huns and didn't like their land being invaded by a horde of strangers. "Xena, we're getting the evil eye."

"Let's just get to the palace," she tried to ignore the mean glares she got and trotted through the streets towards the large gates that protected the huge palace ahead.

When they approached the tall gates a swarm of guards surrounded Xena, Gabrielle and their entourage. A tall man walked up to Xena's horse and scanned her attire from head to toe and nodded. "State your purpose, Hun."

His tone was not very welcoming and Xena sensed that this man was going to be trouble. "Commander of the Huns and Governor of the Huns. We're here to talk to your Czar. He is not expecting us but we have letters from him asking for our aid."

He chuckled. "Aid from barbarians such as yourselves?" he cockily smiled and Xena's upper lip quivered into a snarl. He ruffled his dark short hair and crossed his arms over his barrel chest. "You cannot just demand an audience with the Czar, Hun."

"Listen here pretty boy –"

"Xena!" Gabrielle trotted forward and smiled at the Szekely man. "We were sent by our queen. It is imperative that we speak to your ruler. He sent us letters like Xena said. I have them in my satchel if you want to see –"

"Quiet, white woman," he interrupted and her face contorted in disgust. He was definitely ruder than she anticipated. Of course it was easy to be rude to Xena because of how she presented herself but she had never been treated this way in a long time.

"I don't care about your letters. Do you have documents that allow passage through our borders?" he wagged his fingers expecting the said papers.

Gabrielle looked to Xena confusedly and turned back to the arrogant Szekely man. "We didn't know we needed to have documentation."

He laughed haughtily and Xena shook her head and grabbed the hilt of her sword ready to attack this man. "Of course you didn't because you're Huns! You think you can just waltz into any territory and claim it as your own! You are not welcome here."

Xena pulled out her sword and pointed it at his chest. She was instantly surrounded with various amounts of weapons. Gabrielle pinched the spot in between her eyebrows and bowed her head. "We aren't leaving until we speak to the Czar. So, if you would be so kind to tell him we are here, I would greatly  _appreciate_  it."

"Or I can just have you all arrested for trespassing."

"What is your name, boy?"

He lifted his chin and nonchalantly pushed her blade away from his chest and stepped forward, grabbing the reins of her horse. Bold move, she thought. "General Balasz of Banat."

Gabrielle stepped in and grabbed Xena's wrist. "We are not here to cause trouble. We just want to speak with the Czar. I'm sure he will make time for us to see him."

He nodded. "I will tell him you are here since you asked so politely. You should keep your commander in check before I arrest her for speaking to the General so rudely." He winked and walked through the opened gates.

Xena groaned and Gabrielle slapped her arm. "You almost ruined everything!"

"Did you see his smug face? That bastard doesn't know what he's doing! I'm going to slap him the next time he mouths off to me," she promised herself.

"You aren't going to slap anyone. We're supposed to be representing your daughter and you aren't doing very good job so far!" she harshly said in a hushed tone.

"I'm old enough to be his mother, Gabrielle!"

"Who cares? We aren't in Pannonia anymore! We must abide by their rules while we're here. It doesn't mean we have to like them." She said and Xena bit her tongue and sheathed her sword with a swift clang into the sheath. She saw the sassy general walk towards the gates. "He's coming back. Don't say anything. Let me do the talking from here on out."

Balazs opened the gates. "The Czar will see you inside but you must leave your men outside."

Gabrielle thought that was fair. "We won't be long."

* * *

The grey haired Czar waited inside of the large sitting room off to the side of the throne chambers. He coughed violently and covered his mouth with a soft linen cloth. In walked his guests and waved his hand at the two women then the large wooden doors were closed. He coughed some more and Gabrielle cringed. Xena raised her eyebrow at the elderly Czar.

She expected him to be a bit younger and perhaps in better health but he looked ancient. He folded up the cloth and tucked it into his robe pocket and gestured for them to sit down. Xena and Gabrielle graciously sat down next to each other and he exhaled heavily before taking a generous swig of water.

"I hope…my general was not too obnoxious," he implied with a soft grin.

Gabrielle spoke before Xena could interject, "he is only trying to protect his people."

The Czar chuckled and released a gruff cough from his lungs. He rubbed his chest and looked at the blonde. "Wise choice of words." He adjusted himself in the large chair and rubbed his grey long braided beard. "The Hun Queen sent you, hmm?"

She nodded. "Yes. We received your letter asking for aid against Justinian. Our king is willing to help in any way that he can."

"The king is very young. Only a few years shy from when his father passed. Attila was a good man." He eyed the commander with her legs spread apart and her arms crossed over her large fur cloak. "And what a fine commander he had," he smirked at Xena. She frowned as she studied his worn face. "You do not recognize me, Xena?"

"I'm afraid I don't."

He figured that she would say that. It had been a very long time since he stepped into Hun territory. "Don't let my haggard appearance fool you. I came to Pannonia long ago when you were carrying your child," he smiled and her eyes widened, suddenly remembering bits and pieces of that meeting. "I did not imagine that one day your daughter would become Queen of the Huns."

She leaned forward and unfolded her arms. "You discussed a deal with King Rua," she said and pointed her finger at him and he slowly nodded. "You were afraid Emperor Theodosius would attack your people so Rua offered to aid you. And now you ask for help once again against Emperor Justinian."

Gabrielle tapped her chin and looked over at the commander and then eyed the Czar. "If you were allies with the Huns then how come we were gawked at when we rode through the gates?"

He scoffed and waved his hand. "My people are high and mighty. They believe Huns are beneath them. We are more alike than they want to admit. I have no quarrels with the Huns. I cannot say the same for my eldest daughter. She despises you people," he said with a light chuckle.

"Rabia, right?" Gabrielle asked and he frowned. "She and Farah came to Pannonia to celebrate the princess' birthday."

"They left Akitziri?" his eyes darkened as soon as he heard that. He was very protective over his daughters, Xena noticed.

"They were very well taken care of," said Xena to calm his nerves. "My daughter would not let anything happen to your daughters."

He rumbled under his breath and gripped his knees tightly. "It is not Rabia that I worry about but Farah," he mumbled. "Shall we discuss the alliance then?" his mood lightened and Gabrielle pulled out the letters from her satchel.

* * *

Hours after discussing the alliance with the Czar Gabrielle and Xena were escorted to the guest section of the large palace. The two shared a huge suite together and had two large beds with balconies, baths and even a huge lounge filled with floor sofas and large pillows. Xena eyed the three water pipes in the lounge and Gabrielle slapped her on the hip.

"Don't even think about it," Gabrielle warned. "What did you think of the Czar? He looks sickly and far too old to be the father of his young daughters."

Xena sat down and pulled out one of the long hoses attached to a water pipe and Gabrielle cleared her throat. She snapped her head up and smiled grandly. "I'm just looking."

"Focus, Xena. You remember meeting him a long time ago when you were pregnant with Ana, right?"

"Yes I remember him. He didn't look like he does now. He was older than everyone, even King Rua back then but now he looks ancient." She wrapped the hose around the pipe and shook her head. "His daughters are very young. I know Farah can't be older than Csaba and Rabia looks younger than Anastasia."

"Did he have a wife back then?"

Xena rubbed her chin and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know but I'm assuming he did otherwise how could he have two daughters?" she said and Gabrielle couldn't disagree with that statement. "I'm surprised she wasn't present during the meeting."

A thought crossed the governor's mind and she threw the satchel onto the large bed. "Maybe she died?" she guessed and her partner smiled faintly. "What do you think of his offer? Do you think that Ellac will agree to it?"

"I don't know. Ellac is not a greedy person even though he lives lavishly. If the Czar wants to send us thousands of dinars so we promise to aid him against Justinian then I don't see why Ellac would turn that down." She sprawled her arms across the pillows and smiled mischievously at the blonde. "So, we have an entire room to ourselves and no rugrats to interrupt us this time."

Gabrielle knew that look of seduction. She had seen it for many years and she knew that she wasn't going to escape this time. She couldn't run anywhere. "Xena, we are on a business trip."

"Business?" she glanced around the room. "I don't see any business," she teased. "We only have this room for tonight until we head back to Pannonia tomorrow morning so…" she crossed one leg over the other and smiled. A light chuckle escaped Gabrielle and Xena reached forward, grabbing her hand and thrust her onto the pillows.

"Xena!"

Her hand gripped Gabrielle's thigh firmly and she lifted her eyebrow. "So…I think we should take this opportunity…" she leaned in closer to her lips and Gabrielle's mouth parted, "…to spend time…" she inched closer and Gabrielle readied her warm body and Xena pushed her onto the floor.

Gabrielle gasped and Xena sat with a smug smile on her face. "What did you do that for?!" she sat up and rubbed her back.

"Now you know how it feels. Doesn't feel so good when it happens to you, does it?" Xena laughed and quickly got off the sofa before Gabrielle could retaliate and grab her boot.

"Oh, I see. This is payback for what I did to you. I get it." Gabrielle nodded. "Okay, you got me. Now we're even."

Xena folded her arms. "Not even close." She saw her lover's jaw drop and she laughed loudly at her expression of dismay. "You. Me. The baths." she nudged her head at the large bathhouse connected to the suite. "Come on Gabrielle, don't be such a sore loser!" she ran off to the baths, taking off her cloak and black skin tight tunic.

"Alright, fine. You want to play," the blonde mumbled. "Let's play." She got off the floor and ran to the baths, stripping herself of her tunic and unbuckling her belt. She ran as fast as she could behind Xena and then spontaneously pushed her into the hot water.

Xena yelped and Gabrielle halted before she too fell into the water. She lifted her soaked self from the hot water and pushed her bangs back, exposing her forehead and frowned. Gabrielle laughed and doubled over, unable to contain herself.

The soaking wet commander spewed water from her mouth and scowled. "You ruined my boots and pants!"

"I thought we were playing a game?" Gabrielle asked in between her spouts of crying laughter. "Oh, don't be a  _sore_   _loser_ , Xena," she spat back in the commander's face. The grimace on her face wasn't going away and Gabrielle didn't find this so amusing anymore. "Xena, come on, I'm just playing around. You started it. Don't be a grumpy old lady."

"I'm not old!"

Gabrielle rubbed the back of her neck and turned her cheek.

"Come in the water then," Xena said with malicious intent. She swam to the edge of the bath and the governor backed away. "I won't bite, Gabrielle. This is a game after all." She twirled her hair around a finger and bit her bottom lip. "What's the matter? Don't trust me?"

"Nope."

* * *

Arielle and Loric walked back to the encampment after spending hours by the river. The two soaked children laughed as they talked about archery and Arielle bragged constantly that she was a better bowman than Loric could ever be. He often said he wanted to challenge her boast in a game of archery but she knew that her mother wouldn't approve and her father was still here for her birthday so that meant that she couldn't be around Loric. She also promised her grandmother that she'd stay away from boys but since her grandmother wasn't here then that meant she was free to do what she wanted.

She playfully jabbed him in the ribs and he pushed her back gently. She grinned and punched him in the shoulder. He grabbed her wrists gingerly and Arielle faced forward and saw both of her parents talking outside the Adame. She gasped and both of their heads turned to her and Loric.

Navaz frowned and Anastasia pulled out her sword. Arielle pushed Loric backward. "Run, Loric! Run!"

He saw the look on the king's face and took off running as fast as he possibly could. Navaz shook his head and marched towards the fleeing boy. "Stop!" he yelled and Loric only ran faster. "I said stop, boy!"

Arielle watched Loric run around the inner camp frantically and Navaz whipped out his sword. She covered her mouth and then saw her mother walking towards her. She thought of running but that would only make matters worse.

Anastasia grabbed her daughter by the arm and Arielle squealed. "What do you think you're doing?" she yelled. "You were off with a boy! He is older than you! What is the matter with you?!"

The princess' eyes welled with tears. "He's my friend, mother!"

"You know the rules, Arielle! You disobeyed me!" she screamed and her daughter whimpered.

Navaz dragged Loric by the ear and threw him onto the ground. Anastasia whipped her head around and stomped over with the sword pointing at the boy's face. Loric breathed heavily and scooted away on the grass and bumped into the king's boots.

"Mom, no!" Arielle ran forward and she was pushed back by her own mother.

"So you're the boy my mother was talking about," Ana said and sweat dripped from Loric's face. "You realize my daughter is a princess, don't you?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"I will let you off with a warning this time but if you ever come near my daughter again I will make sure you are severely punished." She said and he nodded.

"He's my friend!" Arielle whined.

Ana spun around, scowling at her daughter. " _Sessizlik_!" she hissed and Arielle's eyes widened in fear and tears streamed down her cheeks. "Get out of here," she swatted Loric on the meaty part of his thigh. He immediately got up, struggling not to trip over himself and ran away, looking back at Arielle.

Navaz sheathed his sword and glared at Anastasia. "Is this how you parent our daughter?"

The queen scoffed and sheathed her blade. "I've been doing fine without your help, Navaz."

"I would help more if you sent her to Balaam more than three times a year!"

"We agreed that she is too young to travel back and forth from Pannonia to Balaam for long periods of time."

"You obviously don't have the time to watch her. You're too busy with your queen duties that you are ignoring our daughter. She was off with a boy and you didn't even know!"

Arielle's eyes darted back and forth watching her parents fight over her.

He sighed heavily and stared at his teary eyed daughter. "She should come live with me. At least I know Fairuza and my mother can keep an eye on her."

Arielle's jaw dropped and she clutched his leg. "Father no! I want to stay here!"

Anastasia frowned. "If you think you can do a better job than me then take her. She's all yours." She shrugged her shoulder and he wagged his head, not in the mood to deal with her stubbornness.

"Mother!" the princess yelped and Ana peered down at her with a faint frown. "Please don't make me go! I won't see Loric anymore! I promise. Please?"

"Arielle, go back your things. We will leave in a few days," her father instructed and Anastasia walked off.

Arielle inhaled sharply and wrapped her arms around her father's leg. "Daddy, please," she begged. "I'll be good."

"Go!" he ordered and she flinched at his stern tone then ran to the Adame, passing by her mother.

* * *

Gabrielle walked up the stairs with the documents she recorded during the meeting with the Czar, up to Anastasia's quarters. She read over the papers and there were quite a few. Xena was busy unpacking the horses by the yurt and now was Gabrielle's chance to tell Ana about the Czar's offer. She expected to see Ellac first but he was nowhere to be found. In fact, most of the Adame was very quiet and she saw Fairuza ordering the servants around to carry her belongings outside.

She opened the door to the queen's quarters and witnessed Cera sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing her mother's arm gently. She frowned and stepped inside the room and looked at Anastasia lying on her stomach on the bed.

"Don't cry mommy," Cera said in a soft sweet voice. "It will get better."

Gabrielle set the papers down on the desk and approached the tiny princess and Cera's brown eyes lit up upon her arrival. "Hey," she whispered. "What's wrong with your mother?"

"She's sad because Arielle is leaving."

Gone for three days and something was always happening here. Gabrielle grabbed Cera and hoisted her off the bed. "Why don't you go to your room and I will talk to her for you?" she suggested and the princess sighed dramatically.

"Okay but she won't talk to anyone! Not even me!" she thumbed her own chest and Gabrielle smiled. The princess quietly left the room and Gabrielle sat on the bed listening to Ana sob softly with her face buried in the pillow.

"Anastasia, what's this about Arielle leaving?"

The queen rolled over onto her side and wiped her runny nose and Gabrielle looked into the puffy blue eyes. "You should have seen her face, Gabrielle. She was scared of me. I acted just like my mother. I promised I would never do that and I went against everything I promised not to do."

Gabrielle nodded, pretending to understand. "Well…what happened exactly?"

"I found her with a boy and I…yelled at her like my mother did to me." She wiped her cheeks and Gabrielle knew exactly who she was talking about. "Navaz is taking her back to Balaam because he thinks I am not doing a good enough job watching her."

"You are an excellent mother, Ana. You are able to be a queen, a mother and a wife all at once. You are doing a lot more than you ever imagined that you could. That doesn't mean that you can be in five places at once. Loric is very nice boy and she's only ten years old. She should be allowed to have friends."

Anastasia scowled and lay on her side, curling her legs close to her. "I don't want her to be friends with  _boys_."

Gabrielle smirked. "Being a bit hypocritical aren't you?"

The queen creased her eyebrows and stayed silent, knowing she was in the wrong.

Xena walked in the room with Gabrielle's satchel. "You left this on the horse. How many times do I have to tell you to stop leaving your stuff in  _my_  bag?" she frowned and saw her daughter's puffy eyes. "What's wrong?"

Anastasia's lips curled and she began sobbing again. Xena looked to Gabrielle for an answer and dropped the satchel on the floor. "She found Arielle with Loric and now Navaz is taking her back to Balaam with him," she explained.

"You're just going to let him take your daughter away from you like that?" Xena questioned her daughter.

"She's his daughter too!"

"And that means Tuya will be watching her," Xena muttered and Gabrielle slapped her face with her palm. "I will talk to Navaz and convince him to allow Arielle to stay here."

Anastasia leapt out of bed and grabbed her mother's arm. "Stay out of this, mother."

"But he's going to take her away from you!" she spat and Ana lowered her gaze.

"I'm begging you. Stay out of it. Please?"

Xena grumbled and raised a hand. "Alright."

"Promise?"

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes and Xena looked away from the harsh glare and stared into her daughter's wet eyes. "I  _promise_ …"

"Thank you." Ana breathed a sigh of relief. "So, how was the meeting with the Czar?"

"Um, we can talk about that later," the governor said and began pushing a very irritated Xena out of the room.

* * *

Near the training fields, Csaba was instructed by his father to oversee the new recruits while Xena was in Banat with Gabrielle. So far, he hated babysitting these young soldiers and was beginning to come to the realization that his grandmother was right. These men needed discipline and he sure wasn't able to give it to them.

Most of them whispered about him behind his back, making fun of him for being an unskilled warrior and that he'd never seen true war before, which was a lie. He saw plenty of wars but he was never in the thick of it all like his parents, Xena and Gabrielle. He also heard some of the youngest recruits of seventeen years of age, talking ill of his grandmother. They said that she was too hard on them and they laughed at Csaba for allowing his grandmother to be in charge of the military.

He had been hearing these smart remarks from these men for the last two days and he didn't know how much he could take. As a few of the soldiers passed by him carrying bags of wheat he heard them say that he was a baby for taking orders from his grandmother and that she should retire because she's too old to command an army.

At this point he knew he couldn't let that comment slide and so he grabbed one of the boys by the arm, thrusting him backwards. The soldier's eyes went wide upon staring into the prince's smoldering green marbles.

"You talk about my grandmother one more time and you'll be sorry," he warned.

"Yeah? What are you going to do?" the boy snickered and Csaba whacked him in the face with the back of his hand. He fell to the ground and a bunch of the others turned to see the squabble.

"What are you all looking at? Get back to work!" he barked and they turned their cheeks. He picked up the soldier by the arm firmly and shoved him into a weapons rack. "My grandmother is my father's commander. She is the best and you will not talk ill about her anymore. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes!"

Csaba smiled and freed the sassy teenager. "Good. Now get back to work. If I hear another comment from you I will tell the commander and then you'll be wishing you never said those things about her."

He watched the soldiers continue to carry twenty pound bags of wheat across the field as a training exercise. He knew that his grandmother would give them a much harsher punishment but he was running out of ideas. He just wasn't skilled like she was. After all, she had over thirty years experience in this field.

One of the stable boys ran up to the prince and tapped his shoulder. Csaba turned around and frowned at the young boy. "A message for you waits in the forest, your highness."

"A message from whom?"

"I do not know, Prince Csaba. I was just told to tell you," the stable boy bowed and then ran off to tend to his queen's horses.

* * *

He walked into the forest on the opposite side of Pannonia and looked around. He searched for this said message but couldn't find anything. He lurked in the trees and then a pair of hands covered his eyes and he spun around, whipping his sword out and breathed heavily.

Farah gasped and he grunted, lowering his blade. "Farah? My god."

She smiled. "You have fast reflexes," she admired and gripped his strong arms.

He sheathed his sword and looked into his mysterious bright sea green eyes. "What are you doing here? I am in the middle of training the new soldiers."

"I wanted to see you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her body against his. He averted his gaze and she grabbed his chin, turning his face towards her so he was forced to stare into her daring pools. "I thought that we had fun together in your room," her eyes widened as did her smile.

He tried to hide his excitement but couldn't. He finally cracked a warm grin and his cheeks blushed. "I did but Farah you can't be here. I don't want anyone to see us."

"That's why I wanted to meet in the forest!" she exclaimed and he felt himself reacting to her body touching his so he immediately stepped away, putting a good amount of distance between them. "You don't want to see me?"

He chuckled awkwardly. "No, that's not it." She stepped forward and he put his arms up, putting a boundary up and she frowned in a pouting manner like a child would. "I like you a lot, Farah, trust me." He said and her face brightened then she took another step forward as he took another backward. "But we can't do this right now."

"I can wait. I'll come back and we can go to your room."

He panicked and looked through the trees and saw his grandmother with Gabrielle marching towards the training fields. She waved her sword around, scaring the recruits and he knew he was going to be chastised by her later.

"Um, no. You can't come to my room. My parents are in the Adame."

She huffed. "Okay what about somewhere else?"

 _Somewhere else? Is this girl crazy?_  "I might be able to talk to my cousin but I really have to go now. I'm going to be in a lot of trouble because I'm away from the field."

Farah nodded. "I'll wait here for you then." She rose to her toes and kissed his lips generously. When she pulled away his face flushed even more and she winked at him and paddled his cheek.

" _Csaba_!" Xena's voice echoed across the fields of the entire camp and he cringed, already feeling the beating he was going to get later.

"I have to go," he kissed her forehead and sprinted out of the forest.

* * *

"Where is my good for nothing –" Xena spun around and Csaba ran to her out of breath and he wiped his forehead. She cast a forced smile. "My  _sweet_  grandson," she said through her clenched teeth.

"Sorry grandma I had to do something."

Gabrielle pursed her lips and looked up at the commander's unenthused expression.

"Something  _more_  important than watching the recruits? I put you in charge while I am away and this how you train the soldiers? Should I tell your father to strip you of your duties?"

His heart raced. "No! Please don't do that. I won't leave my post again. I swear."

"Good then you can pick up a bag of wheat and join the rest of the soldiers." She shrugged nonchalantly and he gasped and looked to Gabrielle for help.

"Don't look at me," Gabrielle walked away with her hands up.

He frowned at his grandmother. "You're going to embarrass me again in front of the soldiers  _again_? I am a prince!"

"I don't care if you're a prince, Csaba. You broke a rule. Pick up the bag."

"No." He crossed his arms in defiance.

She laughed and Gabrielle shook her head. "No?" she walked over to her grandson and swatted the bag with her blade. "Pick it up."

He stood his ground and refused to move. Both were staring into each other's eyes intensely and the soldiers tried not to steer their way.

"Pick. The bag. Up." She demanded and swatted the wheat bag again and he lifted his chin. "Csaba…" She got up in the face, both at the same height and he smirked. She cocked an eyebrow at his smug attitude.

"What're you going to do? Hit me?" he challenged her.

Her eyes widened and she raised her sword at him. Gabrielle ran in and grabbed her wrist. "Xena! Don't!" she protested and held Xena's strong wrist. "He's just trying to get a rise out of you."

She snatched her wrist away and walked off, pushing her grandson out of the way. He scoffed. "That's what I thought!" he yelled and she halted for a brief moment and gripped her sword tightly then continued walking away.

He turned around and saw the vehemence in Gabrielle's eyes and his smile disappeared. "You know better than that, Csaba."

"She keeps embarrassing me in front of the soldiers, Gabrielle!"

"Maybe you wouldn't have to be put in that position if you would just listen to her." She frowned and walked away.

* * *

Ellac joined his wife on the floor while she was drinking some kefir. He rubbed her back and leaned in close to her as she was looking over some paperwork. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"You're drinking kefir. You hate that stuff," he teased and she smiled, taking another swig of the awful drink that she despised. "Look at your face. You hate it." He chuckled and she wiped her mouth and flipped to the next page, reading the papers that Gabrielle dropped off in her room a couple of days ago. "Oh I see what's going on…" his hand rest on her stomach and she raised her eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" she turned and saw a sly smile on his lips.

"You're pregnant aren't you?" he wriggled his eyebrows and she slapped his chest.

"I am not pregnant you idiot." She griped and went back to reading. "I ate one of Leila's pastries." The thought of eating another one of those sweet breads made her stomach churn. "Don't eat her pastries. She's a terrible cook."

He rolled his eyes. "Well I could have told you that." He muttered and she slapped him again. "You need to stop doing that. My daughter will think it's okay to hit men."

"Good," she smiled and tapped her pen on her on her cheek. "The Czar is going to send us eight thousand dinars to protect his kingdom from Justinian."

That caught his attention immediately and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leaning over to see the documents. "Really? That's a lot of money. He must really think Justinian is going to ransack Banat."

"So we will take the offer then?" she looked into his eyes and he seemed unsure. "We don't have to take the money. We can just offer aid without the coin." She offered.

He laughed and she groaned, flipping to the next page. "No, we're taking the money. The Szekely people are our allies but allies like to be paid too."

"Alright. I'll tell Gabrielle tomorrow about our decision and then my mother can round up the Banat army –"

"Whoa, your mother? I don't want your mother rounding up any armies."

She folded her arms and adjusted herself on the rug and cocked her head at her husband. "My mother is our commander, Ellac. It is her job."

"Maybe she can just babysit Cera and stay away from the field." He smiled sheepishly.

"Why don't you want my mother to do her job? She's really good at it. Besides, she doesn't like babysitting Cera."

"But she's her grandchild."

"My mother isn't a babysitter, Ellac. Cera tends to get on my mother's nerves and I know she does it on purpose just to make her angry. So, she's rounding up the army. End of discussion."

He sighed and leaned back on the rug. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say, your highness."

"Would you rather I take my mother's place because we both know how well that worked out the last time."

"Okay I get it. Let your mother do her job. I need you here with me anyway…" he traced his fingers through her long hair and she frowned.

"I'm working, Ellac."

"You can work later." He leaned in close to her and wrapped his hand around her flat abdomen and she stabbed his hand with her pen. "Anastasia, what the hell!"

"Working…"

* * *

Gabrielle waltzed into the yurt with a big smile on her face. Xena sat on the floor polishing her armor. She had all the pieces of her armor sprawled across the rug and she rubbed her shoulder plates vigorously trying to get it to shine as much as possible. Gabrielle cleared her throat trying to grab her attention but that didn't work.

"I got the word from Anastasia. We are gathering up the Banat army and bringing them here."

"Hmm." Xena kept rubbing the armor with the soft linen and frowned as she couldn't get the scratches out like she planned. Cursing under her breath she reached over and grabbed more polish and spat on the silver armor plates and put her elbow grease in again.

"We should leave within the next week…" Gabrielle said.

"Mhm."

She sighed. "Xena, are you even listening to me?"

"Yes. Army of Banat. Got it." She tersely replied and lifted her head at the irritated blonde. "I'm trying to get these scratches out."

"Why don't you let one of the stable boys do that for you?"

Xena laughed mockingly and went back to scrubbing. "Nobody and I mean  _nobody_ , touches my armor."

Gabrielle walked over to the table and set down her bag of papers that Ana gave her. She then grabbed an apple and began scoring it with a short knife. "Did Csaba apologize to you?" she asked and received no answer. She only heard the scrubbing intensify. "I think he's just trying to assert himself. I don't think he meant to disrespect you."

The scrubbing stopped and Gabrielle turned around to a furious gaze from the commander. "He defied an order. And for that, he should be punished."

"He is your grandson."

"I don't care if he is my grandson. I am the commander of this empire and he should follow my orders. He's been nothing but stubborn ever since Ellac put him in charge as my assistant. If he keeps this up I will ask Ellac to replace Csaba and assign him to do something else. I don't have time to train my grandson on how to be a leader and command an army of recruits at the same time. I'm too old to be doing this."

Gabrielle chuckled and bit off a chunk of the apple. "You just called yourself old."

"I just meant that I am too old to be raising another stupid young adult again. I had enough trouble with Anastasia, but at his age she was already a mother and had more responsibility than he does. He needs to learn how to be a responsible adult. He's twenty one years old! He should know better!"

"Xena, you had a different life than he did at that age. You were already a commander and a mother. He is a prince and his parents do all the heavy lifting around here. He has it pretty easy. He's not used to people barking orders at him. It's hard to see your grandmother as an authority figure. Just give him some time."

Xena scoffed and threw the linen down. "So, you're saying he's a brat."

"No, if anyone is a brat it's Arielle," she joked. "I think you're being a little hard on him. Instead of ordering him around and treating him like one of the soldiers you should allow him to prove himself." She snapped her fingers and sat down in front of her. "He should come with us to round up the Banat army."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Just give him a chance. Please?" she begged and fluttered her eyelashes.

Xena groaned and turned away.

Gabrielle kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

"If doesn't do everything I say then this is all on you."

"I'm okay with that."

"I mean it."

"I know. Don't worry! Everything will be fine!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Just trying to set the mood here lol. Action in chapter 6 &7**

Chapter 5

Farah woke up inside of Oran's yurt and rolled over on top of Csaba and that jerked up him awake. She smiled over him and her long wavy black hair draped over his face. He wafts the hair away from his face and she pressed her lips against his. His hands roamed along her back and he grabbed her hips with a firm grip and she leaned downward, pressing her body against his.

Pulling away from him her face beamed and he gazed into those enchanting green eyes of hers. He pushed back her hair away from her face. He couldn't believe that he had such a gorgeous girl in his possession and she wasn't forced to be here. If anything, she forced herself onto him and at first, he felt shy about that but now, he didn't want to be a part from her.

She rolled over onto her side and ran her fingers through the prince's hair. "It was really nice of your cousin to let us use his yurt. I've never slept in a yurt before."

He frowned and looked at her glowing face. "Don't you sleep in a yurt with your cousin in Akitziri?"

She laughed and pinched his arm. "You're funny, Csaba."

He pretended to play along but he was more than confused. He grabbed his pants and she pouted and grabbed his arm. Smiling, he turned away and began slipping on his pants. "I have to go pack. I am leaving to Banat with my grandma and Gabrielle tomorrow."

"You're going to my homeland? I wish I could come with you!" she kissed his cheek and he sighed. "What are you going to do there? I didn't know my father allowed Huns into the kingdom."

The prince furrowed his eyebrows and buckled his belt. "What do you mean?"

She pulled away and wrapped the sheet over her thin toned frame. "Well, my people don't like Huns." She saw the disappointment across his face. "But I like you, Csaba. You're different."

"Different? Farah, we're all the same. We're very tolerant people. My mother is only half Hun."

The Czarina's eyes widened. "Really? How fascinating. That makes a lot of sense as to why you were going to marry that Persian girl." She reached over and grabbed her unfinished glass of wine. "You like to mix with a lot of other cultures. I like that about you people."

" _You people_?" he shook his head and got off the floor and snatched his tunic from the chair and quickly dressed himself. She sensed that she may have struck a nerve and she licked her wine stained lips and rose from the floor bed and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Did I say something to upset you? That is the last thing I want to do…"

He sighed and couldn't be mad at her. He realized that spending time with Farah these last couple of weeks was much different than being with other Hun women and even Erzibet. Farah was a bit spoiled and very naïve when it came to life outside of her little Banat bubble. It was no wonder that Rabia didn't want her near any men.

"Just forget it," he turned and kissed her forehead.

Oran walked into his yurt and Farah yelped then hid behind the prince. He chuckled and Csaba frowned, blocking Farah's naked body from his cousin's prying eyes. "Just thought I'd let you know that the commander is coming over here."

"What?!" he panicked and grabbed his boots. Farah quickly grabbed his robe and wrapped it around herself. "Why is she coming over here?" he struggled to slip his boots on and Farah folded her arms, glaring at the cousin.

"You went  _hunting_  with me last night, remember?" he tried to keep his cousin's story straight. He leered at Farah and winked. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her dress and boots. "You spent the night over here and she thinks you're with me so…you should probably get your woman out of here."

"My  _woman_?" Csaba groaned. "Just tell her I'll be out in a minute."

Oran peeked out of the yurt and saw Xena walking over here like she was on a mission. "Oh you better hurry, cousin. She's not stopping for anyone."

Csaba ran out of the yurt barely able to get his boots on and tied. He caught her just in time before she was about to enter the yurt. He smiled at her and ruffled his long hair. Xena frowned and looked at his untied boots and messy hair.

"Grandma, what are you doing here?"

"I…wanted to discuss our departure for tomorrow morning. Are you packed?"

He nodded and wiped the sweat off his brow. "Yes, of course. I packed last night."

"I thought you went hunting."

"I packed when I came back."

She nodded slowly. "I see." She scanned his body. "Your shirt is on backwards." He looked down at himself and frowned, cursing under his breath. "You should get yourself situated. I'll be in the Adame with your mother and Gabrielle for our final meeting. Don't be late, Csaba."

"I'll be there. Don't worry grandma. I won't let you down."

"Mhm…" she scanned his body one more time and then walked in the opposite direction towards the wooden palace.

* * *

Gabrielle wrote down everything that Anastasia told her for the last half hour. She interrupted the queen for a brief moment and lifted her pen. "After we round up the army we take them here? Will there be yurts for them or tents in the training field?"

"They will stay in the tents in the training field. I had Ebnedzar and Dengi set them up two days ago." She said and Gabrielle went back to writing. "And after you round up the army, I want the coin delivered by the Czar's General. Csaba will be in charge of watching over the money while the General counts it in front of him." She paced back and forth. "You got that?"

"Yes…" Gabrielle finished her last sentence and in walked Xena. She smiled at the commander. "Did you get Csaba?"

Xena nodded and approached the desk, leaning over she read some of what Gabrielle had written. "Csaba is acting very strange. I don't think he should come with us."

Ana folded her arms, glaring at her mother. "Gabrielle suggested that he should come and I think it would be good for him to be in the field. It will be his first mission."

"I went to Oran's yurt and Csaba had his shirt on backwards. He looked like shit." Xena said to her daughter.

"Well, he went hunting. He's probably just tired."

The commander smirked and took a seat beside Gabrielle and propped her boots on the desk. "If he keeps going on these  _spontaneous_  hunting trips then where are the kills? I haven't seen any animal pelts or spits with carcasses on them." She waved her hand and Gabrielle pushed her boots off the table so she could keep writing. "I'm just saying…"

The queen huffed and saw her son enter the room. "Csaba!  _Tatli cocuk_ ," she greeted warmly and he forced a smile. He kissed her cheeks and she saw a bruise on his neck and arm. "What happened to you?" she fretted and he eyed his grandmother's smoldering gaze. "Did you get hurt?"

Gabrielle looked at the supposed bruise on the prince's neck and Xena's lips turned into a wide smile. "Oh he got  _hurt_  alright," muttered Xena. "Csaba, how was hunting? Catch anything good? Boar? Fox? Rabbit?"

He nervously eyed her and stepped away from his mother's wandering hands. "We caught a rabbit."

"Really? Because rabbit isn't in season right now."

"It was a fox."

"Wow. You must have traveled very far to catch a fox. Where's the pelt?" Xena tapped her fingers on the desk, staring at her grandson's pale face.

"Actually, it was a wolf," he corrected himself and Gabrielle lifted her eyebrow at that but kept minding her own business writing.

Xena gave a slow nod and glide her finger across her chin haughtily. "You killed an animal and didn't eat it? You and Oran must have searched for miles, huh?" she puckered her lips and he turned his cheek.

Anastasia was able to catch onto her mother's little game and noticed her son's sheepish face. She ripped the collar away from his flesh and took another look at the  _bruise_  on his neck. "Csaba, what is going on?" she leaned in close and his heart hammered. "Are you lying to me?"

"No!" he pushed her away and Xena rose from the chair. Gabrielle grabbed her arm and he turned to both women and couldn't bear to look at his mother. "Nothing happened. Oran and I got into a fight."

"Is that right?" Ana eyed the bruise on his neck again. "Did he  _kiss_  you too?"

Silence.

"Csaba!" she yelled and he slowly backed up. " _Bana serseriden bahset_!"

Gabrielle's eyes got large when she heard that and Xena sat back down, scratching her scalp nervously. "That's never good when she uses her mother tongue, Csaba. You should tell her what you've been doing before she blows up," advised the blonde governor.

"She's not a tramp!" he yelled at his mother and she held her hand to her chest. "She's very nice and she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"We should leave," Xena got up and her daughter snapped her head around.

"You stay!" she barked and her mother sat back down, hanging her head. "Who is it? Do I know her? How long have you been seeing her? Is she from Pannonia?" she pressured her son and he suddenly felt like he was going to throw up with all the questions she was asking.

"I don't need to tell you anything. I'm not a child anymore, mother. You can't tell me what to do."

"You will not see her again until I meet her!"

"You are not going to meet her." He turned and stormed out of the room.

Gabrielle and Xena both looked at each other and sat at the desk awkwardly waiting for the next thing to discuss during the meeting. They both didn't know that the meeting was going in this direction especially when he dropped a bomb like that. Xena knew there was something going on with her grandson but she didn't know that he was so involved with a woman that he had to lie to his parents and the rest of his family.

"I can't believe this." Anastasia plopped down onto a chair.

Xena got up and wrapped her arm around her daughter. "Ana, it's okay. It's not the end of the world."

"My daughter is leaving me and my son is seeing a girl I don't even know!" she lowered her head on her arm on the desk.

Gabrielle held Ana's hand. "He is an adult and maybe you should treat him like one. If he really cares about this girl then he will let you meet her but I think you need to cut him some slack." As soon as she said that she got a look from Xena. Both of the most important women in Csaba's life still treated him like a little boy and he definitely wasn't a boy anymore. "Maybe if he continues seeing this girl then he will let you meet her…"

Anastasia lifted her head up off her arm and rubbed her face. "I should have chosen a wife for him after Erzibet left then he wouldn't have to sneak around."

Xena sat down beside her daughter. "I don't think finding Csaba a wife would make things better. Attila did that to Ellac and he didn't even know the girl. If you hadn't gotten pregnant then Ellac would have married that girl and he would have been miserable. Do you want that to happen to Csaba?" and Ana shook her head. "Then you should be happy that he is with a girl that he actually likes."

"If he likes her then he should marry her. He shouldn't have to sneak around and lie to me in order to see a girl!" she banged her fist on the table.

Gabrielle chuckled and the queen frowned at her. "Sorry, it's just that you sound just like your mother." She chortled and then both women narrowed their eyes. She cleared her throat and glanced away. "I mean, you did the same thing. You lied and were with Ellac for months in Greece and Xena never knew about it!" she smiled and Xena raised her eyebrow. "I'm just…saying…"

"She's right," Ana stared off into space and Xena's mouth slightly went ajar. "I'm turning into  _you_!" she spat at her mother. "I promised I would never be like you." She got up and grabbed the papers Gabrielle was working on and stuffed them in her arms.

Xena gasped. "I was not a horrible mother to you!"

"Because of your strict rules I always disobeyed you and now my children are doing the same to me. First Arielle and now Csaba. Next it will be Cera if I don't fix this!" she snatched the pen out of Gabrielle's fingers and hurried towards the doors.

"Anastasia!" Xena called after her. "Anastasia wait!"

"Just let her go, Xena."

"Was I really that horrible to her growing up?" the commander asked with saddened eyes.

Gabrielle stood and grabbed hold of her partner's hand. "I don't think that's what she meant. Everything you did was to protect her. I think she's just having some problems of her own that she needs to deal with. Shall we get the horses ready? We still have duties to tend to."

Xena nodded.

* * *

Farah was able to slip out of Pannonia on horseback after Csaba left to go the Adame. Now Oran was chatting with his cousin and he leaned on the yurt, casually listening to the prince release his feelings about his mother. He saw the queen making her way over and he slapped his cousin's shoulder.

"Don't look now but your mother is coming this way."

Csaba turned and immediately grabbed his horse and hopped on. Anastasia ran towards him as he was about to leave. "Csaba, please! Don't leave!" she begged and grabbed the reins. He turned his cheek and Oran slipped inside his yurt to allow them some privacy. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted. I was just upset that you were lying to me. I was shocked that you were seeing a girl," she tried to sound convincing and even put on a smile.

"I have to go pack."

"I know but please, hear me out." She said and he sighed then finally looked down at her. "If you want to keep seeing this girl then I want to meet her. If she really is important to you then I want to get to know her too. I know you're not a child anymore but you'll always be my little boy. I want to protect you and I realized that I can't do that all the time."

He saw that she was being sincere but he was still upset at her for the way she treated him back there in front of his grandmother and Gabrielle. He was tired of being embarrassed by all of these women. "Can we talk about this later? I really do have to pack. I told grandma I already did but I haven't."

She frowned sadly. "Alright. You know you can come to me about anything. I won't judge you. I'm the last person that would do that."

"Yes mother, I know." He kissed her hand. He trotted off and she followed him.

"Would you at least tell me her name and what she looks like?"

That question made him extremely nervous considering his mother already met Farah at Arielle's birthday party. He didn't want her to know that he was sleeping with the Czarina of Banat especially since his parents made an alliance with Farah's father.

"Later, mother. I promise."

* * *

In the middle of the journey to Banat it began pouring so Xena advised that they stop and make camp until tomorrow morning. Usually it took a little over a day to ride to Banat and that was considerably lucky because most of the tribes weren't even that close. Since they weren't expecting a storm to crash their trip Xena, Gabrielle and Csaba had to share a tent together.

Gabrielle sat down on the floor and smoothed out a large blanket that she brought with her inside the saddlebag. Csaba sat in a corner by himself and Xena was busy organizing her weapons for tomorrow. She was prepared for anything. Even though the Czar agreed to ally with the Huns she still didn't like the cocky General Balasz. She also knew that he was going to be the most difficult one of them all.

While she was putting away her swords in their sheaths she eyed her grandson sitting by himself. He hadn't said a word since they left Pannonia. Gabrielle smiled up at her and then walked over to the lonesome prince. He frowned and turned his cheek.

"Gabrielle, I really don't want to talk right now."

"Sorry that you have to share a tent with us," she took a seat down next him which made him super uncomfortable. "We're really glad that you came with us. Right, Xena?"

"Mhm." She answered briefly.

He rolled his eyes and kicked off his boots. "I know what you're trying to do but I don't want to talk about it."

"I didn't say anything," she leaned back on the blanket and he lay down, getting ready for a sleepless night. "So, who is this girl? Is she pretty?"

He felt like it was easier to talk to her and his grandmother than his own mother so he allowed himself to open up a little. "She's very beautiful. She has the greenest eyes I've ever seen and long black hair."

Xena frowned and set down two of her swords as she listened to him talk about this mystery girl. The more he described her, a familiar face popped into her mind and she interrupted him. "Are you talking about Farah?" she asked and the tent fell silent.

She looked at his white face and Gabrielle gasped audibly. "Csaba you can't see her."

"Why not? She is gorgeous and very sweet."

"She is engaged to someone."

He felt like his heart had been stabbed and he sat up. "What do you mean  _engaged_?"

Gabrielle nodded and took over from here. "When we went to Banat to meet with the Czar he briefly spoke about his daughters. Rabia is married to General Balasz and Farah is engaged to the commander, Pascal."

Xena saw her grandson's broken heart written all over his face. She cupped his cheek. "I'm sorry Csaba but you can't see her anymore. She should have told you that she was promised to someone else."

Enraged, he slapped her hand and threw the blanket off himself. "She never mentioned him! He probably doesn't even love her! I can give her everything that  _Pascal_  can."

"Um, how long have you been seeing her?" asked Gabrielle.

"Almost a month."

Xena scoffed. "And you are already jealous of another man in her life? Csaba, you don't even know this girl. She lied to you and when she goes back to her home she will marry Pascal and forget all about you."

"No she won't! She really likes me and I like her. Why do you have to ruin this for me? What if I ask her to marry me? Then she won't ever have to see Pascal again."

"It doesn't work like that and I don't think your mother would let you marry a girl that you knew less than a month."

"Even if she does marry Pascal I will continue to see her."

Xena frowned and stood up in the tent and folded her arms. "Csaba, that is wrong and you know it. Your parents would not approve."

He stood up, challenging her. "I don't care and you aren't going to tell them about Farah."

"You're asking me to lie to my own daughter?"

"Why not? You've done it before." He grabbed his soaked cloak and threw it over his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" she grabbed his arm and he hurried out of the tent. "Csaba!" she screeched and he hopped onto his horse and rode out of their small camp.

Gabrielle wagged her head. "He must really like her."

"He's dead meat when I see him again."

"Xena don't do anything irrational. I hate it when you get like this. We have to round up the army. You can't worry about him right now."

The commander paced back and forth while Gabrielle's eyes followed. "He's thinking with the wrong head. The moment he gets a girl to pay attention to him he loses it! He's ruining this trip, Gabrielle. This is a mission and he can't focus! How will he run an empire if he keeps thinking about stupid girls?!"

"Well to be fair, he's never been with a girl other than Erzibet."

"Are you defending his behavior?"

"All I'm saying is that he needs time to process this. These are new feelings for him."

"He better not do anything stupid or I'll kill him."

"Xena…"

"I'll wring his neck."

"Xena."

"I'll tie him to a tree and leave him there for days."

"Xena!" she yelled and finally the brunette stopped pacing. "You sound like a crazy person. This is your grandson you're talking about."

"What's your point?"

Gabrielle raised a brow and the commander sighed and sat down next to her. "You couldn't stop Ana from seeing Ellac so what makes you think that Csaba is going to stop seeing Farah?" she made a valid point that even Xena couldn't argue with. "You can't stop him. Let's just focus on the mission at hand for now and we'll deal with him later, okay?"

"Fine."

"Xena…"

"Alright, okay. Focusing." She grumbled. "I'm still going to kill him."

* * *

The Czar stood in front of the gates watching the Hun soldiers gather up the Banat men. He rarely came outside of the palace but he wanted to make sure that his men remained cooperative with the Huns. They wouldn't dare try to revolt as long as he watched them all. General Balasz trotted around on his horse, yelling at his men to get in a proper formation. Xena and Gabrielle watched the General cautiously as they stood beside the Czar.

The elderly ruler coughed and wiped his mouth with the cloth and put a hand on the Hun Commander's shoulder. "I was expecting to see the prince. Did he not come with you?"

Xena frowned and kept her temper in check because she felt Gabrielle's eyes on her. She kept her eyes focused on the Banat soldiers getting in line to march their way back to Pannonia. "He decided not to come," she calmly replied.

In fact, she had no idea where Csaba was and when Anastasia finds out about this, she was going to be furious. "The grandson of Attila must be a fine warrior," he noted.

Her frown deepened and felt a nudge in her ribs given by her blonde cohort. "He's still learning."

"He is your grandchild as well. I would have never guessed that you would have grandchildren before me, Xena," he joked lightly with a soft chortle. She briefly smiled and looked at Balasz organizing the men accordingly with a few whacks to the soldiers' backs with a blade. "I'd love to watch you train him. Perhaps I will invite you, the prince and the governor to my palace and we can have a duel between Prince Csaba and my commander, Pascal."

Gabrielle whipped her head around, staring up at the Czar at the mention of Pascal. She was sure that Csaba would definitely want to spar with Pascal but that wasn't the best idea. "Csaba has duties that keep him in Pannonia for the time being, your highness."

"Of course." He nodded and coughed some more. He wiped his mouth the cloth again and saw blood this time. Horrified at his health worsening by the day, he tucked the bloody cloth in his robes. "I will take my leave now. General Balasz will be traveling with you two. I hope we meet again very soon."

Xena grumbled and watched the Czar walk back to the palace, escorted by his servants and elite guards. "I'm going to kill Csaba. He took off and now I have no idea where he is."

Gabrielle suggested an idea, "maybe he went to go see Farah in Akitziri. Where else would he go?"

"This was his first mission away from home and he screwed it up all because of this girl. If he did go to Akitziri then he has to come back to Pannonia and when he does I will have words with him. He will not ruin this alliance because of his raging hormones."

General Balasz rode up to the women with an eager face. "Ready to go commander?"

"I will lead the armies in the front. Gabrielle will follow behind you."

"You don't trust me, commander?"

Xena grabbed her horse and stared at the cocky man. "It's protocol." She hopped on the horse and trotted to the front of the armies and waved her hand, giving the signal that they were leaving. Gabrielle climbed on her own horse and tied a rope around Balasz's horse's neck and he frowned, not expecting this sort of treatment from his supposed allies.

The governor eyed the chest of gold strapped to the general's horse and gave him a smirk. "I'm just following orders."

* * *

Arielle held her bow close to her chest and made her way to her father who was waiting for her on his horse. Fairuza and Tuya were waiting on their horses as well. The princess breathed in heavily and looked up at the disappointment upon her father's face. She didn't want to go live in Balaam away from her brother and sister and mother. She loved her father and stepmother and grandmother but she preferred living in Pannonia.

She spun around and Anastasia knelt down in front of her and pulled back the curls surrounding her cheeks. "Be good for Fairuza and Tuya. Do everything they say and don't run off by yourself. I know Soran is going to be very happy to see his big sister." She tried to put a smile but her daughter scrunched up her face and sobbed. "Don't cry  _tatli_   _kiz_. You won't be in Balaam forever. This is only temporary."

"But…I want to stay here with you," Arielle wiped her eyes.

"I know you do but you will have a great time in Balaam. You've been there plenty of times! It's like your second home."

Arielle sighed deeply and blinked rapidly trying to get rid of her tears. "When….can I come back home?"

"I'm not sure. I'll talk to your father about that later. Just know you'll probably be there for a few months."

The princess gasped. " _Months_? Mom no! I don't want to be in Balaam for that long! Please tell father that I can't stay that long, please!"

Anastasia gripped her daughter's arms and shook her lightly. "Arielle, you're not being sent to a prison. You will be with your family. Don't make this difficult. I've sent a mentor from China over to Balaam and he will teach you Chinese over the summer like I promised. You should go; your father is waiting for you." She hugged her tightly and stared at Navaz. She pecked her on the cheek and pulled away, wiping the tears away. "I love you very much. Be good."

Arielle nodded and slowly walked over to her father and he lifted her onto the horse. He smiled at her and she leaned her head against his back. "Did you say goodbye to your sister?"

"Can we just go?" she rumbled.

Kreka walked outside and saw Navaz ride off with his wife and mother and Arielle on his horse. Anastasia stood watching them leave and she descended down the stairs with Cera holding her hand. The little princess jumped down each step playfully and the khatun squeezed her hand.

"Stop that,  _tatli_   _kiz_ ," she whispered and Cera bowed her head and walked normally down the stairs. "Anastasia," she said and the queen turned around swiftly. "Justinian replied to Gabrielle's letter." She pulled out a hefty scroll and Ana snatched it from her.

"I'll wait until they return from Banat to read this." She smacked the scroll on her palm.

Cera tugged on her mother's pants. "Mommy, did Arielle leave already?"

"Yes she did."

"When will she be back?" she widened her light brown eyes.

Ana smiled and cupped her daughter's face. "I don't know but not for awhile."

The girl frowned sadly. "Okay…" she huffed. "Kreka Khatun is gonna take me to see baby Kurt. Do you want to come?" she asked excitedly.

"Maybe not right now. I'm very busy."

Cera begged and hugged her mother's leg. "Please? He's so adorable! Please mommy, please."

Kreka smiled and Anastasia sighed and pried her daughter's arms off. "Alright, alright. I'll come." She relented, not able to resist her daughter's enthusiasm. Cera cheered and grabbed the khatun's hand and her mother's and walked back up the stairs, dragging them along with her.

"I'm really worried about Csaba," Ana whispered to Kreka. "He's been lying to me and seeing a girl behind my back."

The queen mother knew that feeling all too well. Her youngest son did the same thing to her not too long ago with Bakkah. She allowed her sons to have more freedom in their teens and young adult life compared to Anastasia. Xena was harder on her daughter than Kreka was on her sons. Attila allowed his sons to have free range to do as they wished and Kreka decided to do the same with some exceptions.

She was upset when she found out Ernak had been seeing Bakkah without her permission but there was nothing she could do about it especially since he ran to her asking for her help when Bakkah became pregnant. Dengizich wasn't as slick as his younger brother when it came to dating Leila in secret, which didn't last long. Ellac, on the other hand, wasn't very clandestine when he was with Ana, especially in their early teen years. Kreka sympathized with the young queen but she feared the reaction she was about to get when she offered her advice.

"Anastasia, you aren't going to be able to stop Csaba from seeing this girl," she said and the queen frowned, unhappy to hear that, which Kreka expected. "All of my sons did the same thing to me and if I am not mistaken, you did the same thing to Xena." She looked into the fiery eyes beside her. "The difference between me and your mother is that I can forgive quicker than she can. She was bitter even years after Csaba was born and she still takes jabs at Ellac although I think she just does that for amusement now. I love Leila and Bakkah as if they were my own daughters. Csaba fears you just like you feared your mother. You are slowly becoming your mother, Anastasia."

A ring of Gabrielle's voice entered her mind and she softened her deep frown and peered down at her daughter. "So you're saying I am being too hard on him." Ellac had been right all along, she thought.

They stopped in front of the women's quarters and Cera ran into the room ahead of them. Kreka stopped Ana from entering and spoke to her in a kind voice. "Just think of when you were his age, Ana. You thought you lost Ellac a few years before. You still had your mother leering over you even when Csaba was a child. He is a prince yes and he is your son, but you need to give him space. He is lying to you because he's afraid of you. You and I both know that he isn't going to stop seeing this girl. You're a queen but you're a mother too. Don't forget that."

* * *

The Banat army was relocated to the training fields in the outskirts of Pannonia. Xena was busy rounding up the men and showing them their temporary tents. She hoped that Ana had more permanent living arrangements like a new section of yurts or something because these men can't live in tents for months or even years, depending on how long this alliance and tiff with Justinian was going to last.

Gabrielle stood over Balasz as he counted all of the coin he brought with him. She needed to be back at the Adame discussing the alliance with Ana and Ellac but since Csaba took off her duties were to oversee the general instead. Since their arrival she worried that Csaba wasn't in Pannonia and he was in Akitziri where Farah was staying for the time being. The journey back took longer than expected because of the amount of people they had following them.

Balasz smiled up at the governor and she frowned. "Continue counting," she ordered. He threw the next handful of coins into another box with the crest of Pannonia on it. Nearly half way through and she knew that he was delaying this task on purpose just to irritate her.

"I was not aware that the Huns employed white women like you in the empire."

"Keep counting, general." She remained firm and eyed the coin in his hand, counting behind his shoulder to make sure that he wasn't missing any coins during his count.

"I know the Huns have a history allying with Romans. Are you Roman?" he threw ten more coins into the box and she watched him intently but did not succumb to his many questions. "You aren't nearly as mouthy as the commander. She should be more respectful of her allies."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and desperately wanted to leave her post but she couldn't. She heard Xena yelling at the Banat soldiers behind her and she whacked someone with her back of her sword. Balasz chuckled and kept counting the coin.

"Something I learned about Xena is that respect goes both ways. If you respect her then she will respect you but you got off on the wrong foot with her during our first trip."

He nodded and hummed quietly to himself and picked up another handful of coins. "Huns can be so difficult to deal with. They are stubborn and hard headed, wouldn't you agree?"

"Just keep counting," she said in a stern tone.

Xena walked up to her and the general and rest of her hands on her hips, exhaling heavily. "Have you seen Csaba?" she whispered.

"No, I haven't." Gabrielle didn't take her eyes off the dinars in Balasz's hands.

"Trouble in paradise, commander?" the general remarked.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Xena responded to his smart comment. She looked out beyond the fields and saw Romans trotting into Pannonia and recognized General Basilius plumed helmet and her blood boiled. "What the hell are they doing here?"

Gabrielle briefly looked in that direction. "Odoacer's men are here? But why?"

"I don't know but I'm going to find out. Make sure that all the money is there." She ran and jumped onto her horse and rounded up a few of her own men and rode down to the Romans intruding into their land. Gabrielle grumbled and wished she could go along but she had to stay at her post. She really wished that Csaba hadn't ran away like he did then she wouldn't be stuck here doing a job that is beneath her.

* * *

The guards at the front gates alerted the entire tribe by blowing through the long ram's horns and drumming on the large guangu. Everyone inside of the encampment quickly retreated to their yurts in fear of the Romans coming towards them. All of the soldiers reacted accordingly to the alarm and surrounded the Adame. There had been enough attacks on Pannonia in recent years and Ellac was going to make sure that nothing was going to happen to anyone here again.

Anastasia and Ellac emerged from the Adame and they were immediately surrounded by a swarm of their own men. Ernak and Dengi came out as well and stood on either side of the monarchs. Ana's eyes followed the small group of men approaching the Roman officers and there was her mother leading the men, of course.

Ellac frowned and focused on the training field filled with Banat soldiers. "We have all of these men at our disposal and she is riding out by herself."

She didn't have time to deal with Ellac's anger over her mother's choices and saw Gabrielle standing beside two large chests of dinars. "Where is Csaba?" she knew he was supposed to be with her mother and Gabrielle and she also knew that he was supposed to be watching the Banat General count the coin but he wasn't anywhere in sight. "He isn't here!" she panicked and began to leave and her husband pulled her back.

"No! We wait here!" he ordered and felt her pulse in her wrist racing. "He'll be fine. He's around here somewhere."

"No he's not!"

"Anastasia I don't have time to deal with your worries over our son. You're staying here." He put an arm around her chest so she couldn't leave. "Your mother is escorting the Romans over here."

Xena halted her horse and smirked at General Basilius. "The worm has a proposal for us!" she called up to the queen and king. Ellac gave a curt nod and she waved her hand elegantly at the Roman. "Go ahead, worm."

Basilius cleared his throat and felt all the Huns' eyes staring at him. He knew that they didn't want him here and he didn't want to be here either. He was surprised that Xena let him through but he promised he posed no threat. He received an especially horrifying glare from the queen.

"Emperor Odoacer wishes to ally with the Hun Empire," he began and this caused a roll of the eyes from Xena. "He wants to take Dalmatia under his reign."

She screwed her face into a grimace and gave the general a look. "That is south of Pannonia. Why would he care about Dalmatia?"

"Unfinished business left over by Emperor Zeno."

"He's been dead for years. How could he have unfinished business now that Justinian is reigning over Constantinople?"

The General composed himself and promised his ruler that he wouldn't engage with Xena but that seemed inevitable now. "It has come to my attention that you have allied with the Szekely and Dalmatia is not under Hun rule so it is free game for anyone, isn't that right, your majesties?" he directed his question to the Hun monarchs.

Ana and Ellac shared an uncertain look with each other and turned back to the Roman. "He is right. We don't have Dalmatia," she whispered to her husband.

"Then why would Odoacer want to ally with us?"

"To spite Justinian. Isn't it obvious?" she said and looked at her mother. "We should think it over. If Odoacer knows about our alliance with Banat then something is off. He must have someone working with the Szekely. I have the letter from Justinian but I need Gabrielle to look at it."

"Well, what say you?" Basilius interrupted the queen's quaint conversation with the king.

Ellac stepped forward in front of his wife. "We will think it over and get back to you in a couple of days."

The general nodded and tipped his helm at Xena and trotted off. She groaned and hopped off her horse and stomped up the stairs. The soldiers immediately parted way to allow her to pass. "This is a trap. Why would you agree to think it over? Odoacer is just trying to gain more territory against Justinian."

"Mother, I'm aware that something isn't right about Odoacer's proposal. I am buying time because I haven't looked at Justinian's response yet. I need Gabrielle to look it over. The Czar must have a Roman spy in his kingdom that he might not be aware of. I really need Gabrielle to be relieved from her post. Where is Csaba? She is doing his job."

Xena dipped her head and Anastasia raised her eyebrows. "He ran off before we arrived in Banat."

"He what?!" she yelled. "Where is he? What did you say to him?"

"Nothing! He just got really upset and left…" she lied only telling half the truth.

"I find it hard to believe that he would just leave. You must have upset him."

"Why are you getting mad at me? I didn't say anything to him. He left on his own accord! Do you think maybe, just maybe, he's mad at  _you_  and not me, Anastasia?" she shook her head and descended down the stairs to her horse.

* * *

Gabrielle ordered the men to carry off the chest of dinars to the Adame and he was finally free from her post. General Balasz couldn't wait to get out of the area and return to Banat but he had to stay for a few days to make sure his men were situated before uprooting himself.

She turned and was grabbed by the commander and rushed to a secluded area. "Hey, hey! What's going on?" she asked as she was being manhandled by Xena. "What happened with Basilius?"

"Odoacer wants to invade Dalmatia and ally with us."

The governor laughed. "Come on, what did he really want?"

"I'm serious, Gabrielle. Odoacer is up to something and we're in the middle of two warring empires. He knows about our alliance with the Banat Czar," she whispered and kept her eye on Balasz. "There's a rat in the kingdom and I bet that Balasz is it."

Gabrielle's eyes loomed over at the general talking to a few of his officers. "We can't jump to conclusions, Xena. Why would the general befriend Odoacer? That doesn't make any sense."

"Why do people do anything? Power and money. The Czar is too old to keep commanding his kingdom. General Balasz is married to one of his daughters and since his daughters won't take his throne then that means the general is next in line. It makes perfect sense."

"I don't know, Xena. I think we need more evidence. I don't want to be wrong about this. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean he's the one who is betraying his own people."

Xena had her doubts about the general but Gabrielle had a point. They did need more evidence until they could build a proper case against him and Odoacer. "Justinian sent his reply and Ana wants you to look over it. You should go and I need to find Csaba. If he went to Akitziri then I must find him before Anastasia kills me."

Gabrielle nodded and grabbed her horse that was tied to a tree. "Are you sure that you don't want to come with me?"

"No, I need to find him. I'll have Ebnedzar and Ernak look after the Banat army."

"I'll meet up with you later then," she said and took off.

Xena grumbled under her breath and mounted her horse to go find her grandson. She was beginning to really dislike her own grandson and his poor decisions.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kreka walked into Xena's yurt and Gabrielle was drinking tea and eating by herself. She knocked on one of the tables near the entrance, startling the governor. She smiled softly and Gabrielle wiped the corners of her mouth and set down the tea.

"If you've come to drop off more documents from Ellac tell him that I am swamped. I'll have to look at them tomorrow –"

"I didn't come here to talk about documents," the khatun said.

Gabrielle awkwardly looked at the queen mother and drummed her fingers on her knee. "Oh, then what brings you here?" it wasn't often that Kreka made house visits since she was preoccupied with her new grandchild. Not to mention that she lived in the Adame with the rest of the family and didn't bother to come to the yurt unless something was awry.

"I actually wanted to talk to Xena but I can see that she isn't here." She looked around at the tidy home and Gabrielle offered her a seat on the floor which she gladly took. "I came to talk about Anastasia and Csaba."

Oh, this again. "You know what happened?"

Kreka frowned. "I know that Csaba is seeing a girl and Ana doesn't approve. She was extremely upset and frantic like Xena used to be. I am worried about her and I have a feeling I know who Csaba is seeing."

Gabrielle didn't have to say Farah's name. Kreka had an intuition when it came to things such as this. Instead, she poured a glass of tea and pushed it towards Kreka. "So, you know who she is…" she hinted and Kreka gave her a look. "Xena told him that he couldn't see Farah anymore because she is promised to someone in Banat."

This is what the khatun feared and if everyone knew about Farah except Anastasia, she knew that the queen was going to be furious. "He isn't going to stop seeing her. You and I both know that. I am seeing flashbacks of Anastasia and Ellac together. Not a sea or stretch of land was able to keep them apart and Csaba is only a day's ride away from Farah."

"What do you suggest should happen? Should we tell the Czar about their relationship? Maybe he could call off the engagement."

"He isn't going to do that, Gabrielle and Anastasia is going to go ballistic when she finds out the mystery girl is the Czarina. I'm surprised that Xena hasn't told her about Farah."

Gabrielle rubbed her chin and sipped the tea casually avoiding eye contact. Kreka frowned and grabbed the governor's cheeks and turned her face swiftly to look into her eyes. Gabrielle blinked and her mouth was full of hot lemony tea.

" _Where_  is she? Where is Xena?" she let go of the blonde's face and Gabrielle was able to swallow the tea.

"She's…looking for Csaba. He left before we arrived in Banat. She thinks he went to Akitziri."

Kreka groaned. "Because Farah is there," she concluded. "That boy is just like his mother. He could ruin this alliance, Gabrielle. When Xena returns I want her to come talk to me in my room. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure, Kreka."

"Thank you. I have to get back to Bakkah." She stood and thanked her for the tea to which she didn't even touch.

"How is baby Kurt doing?"

Kreka smiled warmly. "Very well. Ernak was very pleased that he has a son. He's been rubbing it in Ellac's face for awhile now."

Gabrielle nodded and tore off a piece of bread. "And Dengi? Has he seen the baby?"

"Only briefly." She sadly admitted. She was afraid that seeing a child would upset her son and she thought right. Dengizich was still so hurt by the loss of Giselle that he didn't and couldn't, be around other children, especially babies. Leila was also reluctant to have more children but yet she was constantly around Ernak's son, offering to help Bakkah in any way that she could.

"I won't tell Anastasia about Farah until I talk to Xena," she looked at Gabrielle in the eye very seriously.

* * *

Csaba leaned against a tall tree and looked out at the sea. Farah's eyes were locked on him and she had shed tears for over an hour now after she explained everything that was arranged between her and Pascal. He was apparently her father's commander for the military and the General was Rabia's husband. It was so obvious that the Czar would marry off his daughters to important men in their province. He wanted to protect them as best as he could. He began to regret coming to speak with her now that he knew the truth. He didn't want to believe his grandmother or Gabrielle, but it was true.

Farah sniffled and wrapped her arm around his. "Are you mad at me? Please don't be mad at me. I have no control over who my father wants me to marry."

"I'm not mad at you," he said and looked at the soft waves crashing into the rocks by the shore. "Did you have sex with him?"

"No!" she felt insulted he would even imply that. "I've never been in a room alone with him. When…I return to Banat next week I will have to marry him."

Csaba frowned and paced around in a circle. "You shouldn't have to be with him. My father was almost married off to someone he didn't even know."

"And then…what happened to that marriage?"

"He got my mother pregnant," he said bluntly and she looked away.

"Csaba," Xena appeared from behind with Rabia by her side. Farah gasped and saw the horrendous look on her sister's face and Csaba looked at his grandmother, shocked to find her here. "You left your post and your mother is worried about you."

The last thing he wanted to do was upset his mother and he felt bad for leaving during the mission like he did but he had to talk to Farah. He already knew that his was going to get a serious lecture from his mother and grandmother.

Farah stepped forward. "It wasn't his fault. I didn't tell him about Pascal. Don't blame him, please," she begged the commander.

Rabia growled and grabbed her sister by the arm. "You are acting like a harlot, Farah! You shouldn't even be sleeping with this Hun! He is not one of us!"

Xena raised her eyebrow and interrupted. "Just because we aren't the same as your people doesn't mean we are beneath you, Rabia." She walked over to her sheepish grandson. "And sleeping with Csaba doesn't make your sister a whore."

"Well, she can't see him anymore. She is marrying someone else. Come with me," she tugged on her sister and Farah looked back at Csaba. He glanced over at his grandmother and she sighed. It was the same look that Anastasia had when she was caught with Ellac many, many years ago.

"Wait," she said and the two sisters paused. "We are allies with your father now. I've known him for awhile. If Farah doesn't want to marry this man then she shouldn't have to because she will be miserable. And I know my daughter wouldn't want her son to be unhappy either."

Farah's face lit up and Rabia scowled at the Huns. "What are you saying?"

"Come to Pannonia with us and meet with my daughter. She is very understanding and she really wants to know who Csaba is seeing."

"Are you out of your mind?" Rabia scoffed. "Farah is done with this relationship. She is marrying Pascal. They were promised to each other a year ago. Let's go!" she grabbed Farah's hand and pulled her away.

Csaba hung his head in shame and Xena wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "I really like her."

"I know you do. We need to get back to Pannonia and I really think you should tell your mother about Farah. She's already met her so maybe she will go easy on you."

"Have you met my mother?" he frowned up at her.

"Maybe once or twice," she winked and slapped him on the back. "Let's go."

"What about Farah?"

"We'll deal with that later. Your mother is really worried about you so  _please_  get on the horse," she urged and he grumbled and did as he was told for once.

He looked over at her as she was petting her horse's mane. "Thank you for sticking up for me," he said softly.

"I'd do anything for you."

* * *

Princess Cera convinced Gabrielle to go with her to the sheep herder in the outskirts of Pannonia. She also convinced her to take back a sheep to the Adame but Gabrielle wasn't sure that this was going to go over well with Anastasia, considering Cera had grown quite fond of the sheep over the last day. She sat on the grass, brushing the sheep's curly white hairs with a simple hairbrush a stable boy gave her.

Gabrielle's eyes were focused on the field, waiting for Xena's return. Two days without her and she was beginning to worry Xena had done something to Farah or worse, she had done something horrible to Csaba. Cera hummed quietly as she continued brushing the matted sheep.

"Gabby, can I keep him?" she asked and the governor didn't reply. "Gabby!"

"What? Oh, maybe," she smiled and stood up once she saw Xena riding towards the yurt but she was without Csaba. "Oh no, what did you do this time?"

Cera frowned and turned around, staring up at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing Cera, just continue doing…whatever it is you're doing," she muttered and ran ahead to meet up with Xena before she even halted her horse. "Xena, where is Csaba?"

Xena hopped off her horse and was bombarded by a certain redheaded princess. "Cera," she grinned and picked the girl up in her arms, hugging her tightly. She spotted the sheep nervously. "What's this?"

"This is my friend. His name is Boba," she said and Xena nodded her head slowly. "Traton said I could keep him! He's so adorable, isn't he?"

"Um, yes, very adorable." She set down her granddaughter and watched her run back to her new pet. "You let her keep a sheep?"

Gabrielle frowned. "Forget about the sheep. Where's Csaba?"

"I told him to go talk to Anastasia about Farah."

"You what?! Kreka wanted me to tell you to go talk to her first! Oh my god," she panicked and breathed in and out deeply to the point of almost hyperventilating.

Xena rolled her eyes and calmed Gabrielle down by resting her hands on her shoulders. "Gabrielle, its better if Ana knows now instead of finding out later. What did the dragon lady want this time?"

"All I'm saying is that Kreka told me to tell you to talk to her first. Do not let Csaba talk to Anastasia!" she shook her commander.

She slapped her hand away and Cera pulled her new pet over with a puzzled look upon her face. "Are you two fighting?"

"No, of course not," Xena said and eyed Gabrielle.

"No. Not at all," Gabrielle carefully chose her words.

The princess crossed her arms and crookedly grinned at her grandmother and aunt. "I know what's going on," she said with certainty and watched both of their mouths part slightly. "It's about my birthday isn't it."

Xena breathed a sigh of relief. "Cera your birthday is in the fall. It's barely spring right now."

"I know but we can plan early!" she cheered and wrapped her small arms around her and Gabrielle. "Do you think mother will let me keep Boba in my room?"

"Um, you know what happens to sheep around here, don't you?"

Cera scrunched up her face in confusion.

"We eat them," Xena said and Gabrielle slapped her arm. "Hey…"

The princess gasped and hugged her pet sheep. "Noooo. I don't want to eat him. He's my friend."

"A girl from a long line of warriors befriending a sheep. You don't see that every day." Xena remarked with chagrin and Gabrielle groaned. "Okay I'll go to the Adame. Keep an eye on sheep girl."

"I want to come with you!" she begged.

"Stay with Cera. I won't be gone long. Hopefully I can catch Csaba before he reaches Anastasia." She waved and hopped on her horse, riding towards a looming disaster ahead.

Cera muttered something to her pet and then paddled Gabrielle on her leg, getting her attention. "It's okay Gabby, you can stay with me and Boba."

What a brilliant idea, she thought. She didn't want to be left behind knowing that something really terrible was about to happen. She tried to keep calm but she just couldn't let Anastasia or Xena blow up at one another or at Csaba. "Hey Cera…you know who loves sheep?" she smiled smugly and the princess shook her head. "Kreka Khatun adores sheep. I'm sure she would love to meet Boba…"

The little princess gasped excitedly and grabbed the rope around the sheep's neck and pulled him along to the Adame. Gabrielle cocked her brow and followed her. One step closer, she thought. She would definitely hear yelling but not from Xena or Ana. Kreka hated goats and sheep. She was sure that calling people goats was more insulting to the animal than a human.

* * *

Kreka sat at her vanity, plaiting her hair and cursing under her breath while doing so. She was getting more and more frustrated with her own hair, especially the noticeable silver streaks in her once perfect black locks. She wondered how she could have so many changes in her body while Xena looked much the same, despite the subtle faint wrinkles around her eyes when she smiled, which was never it seemed like.

She threw her unfinished braid behind her shoulders and folded her arms, glaring at her reflection. She ran her finger through the middle part in her hair and began combing her nails through the midnight locks generously.

Small wraps on the door interrupted her and she stood then smoothed out her black cotton dress and didn't bother to put on her headdress as she wasn't finished doing her hair for the day. Opening the door she beamed when she saw Cera and then frowned when she saw a white sheep. Gabrielle looked at the khatun and pushed Cera into the room with her pet, Boba.

"Excuse me what is that filthy animal doing in my house?" she growled and Cera pouted.

"He's my friend."

"Your  _friend_?" she spun around to a very guilty governor. "What is going on?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could watch her. I have to go find Xena. It's a long story so if you wouldn't mind I would really appreciate it. Thanks!" she ran off before Kreka could say anything. Gabrielle hoped she wouldn't be too mad.

Kreka grunted and slammed the door, startling the princess and the loud sheep. She didn't want that animal anywhere near her clothes, her shoes, her ornate rugs, her bed –she didn't want him near anything in her room –she didn't even want him in her home.

"So, he's your friend. Does your friend have a name?" she picked up some of her dresses lying around so the animal wouldn't think they were a tasty snack. Also, she didn't want to upset Cera and whatever Gabrielle and Xena were up to, she would find out sooner or later.

* * *

Csaba gave himself a little pep-talk before he was able to ready himself to knock on his mother's door. He never felt so nervous before in his entire life but his grandmother was right. She needed to know, he kept telling himself that over and over. Listening at the door he heard his parents talking loudly but not quite arguing with each other.

He pressed his ear against the door and heard his name mentioned two times by his mother. He frowned sadly, not wishing for his parents to worry and argue about him. The door swung open and he straightened himself out in front of his father.

Ellac cocked his brow. "Csaba, where have you been?"

"Csaba! Is that you?" Ana ran forward and pushed her husband out of the way. " _Tatli cocuk_  I was so worried about you." She cupped his cheeks and he was nervous before but now he was just embarrassed. She still treated him like a child. "Where did you go? You were supposed to go to Banat with Gabrielle and your grandmother. I have been so concerned about you!"

He grunted and stepped away from his frazzled mother. "I'm fine."

"He's not a baby, Ana," Ellac said and she shot him a glare. "Where were you?"

The prince nervously stared at his parents' light eyes and stern faces. "Well…I…I went to Akitziri."

"Akitziri?" Anastasia asked suspiciously. "Why would you go there?"

Xena and Gabrielle ran over and wrapped their arms around the young prince. He gasped and looked at the two women and Ellac shared a glance with his wife. "Csaba, I was looking for you. I really need your help with the Banat men," the commander said.

"But you said –"

"I said I needed your  _help_ ," she squeezed his shoulder and he cringed. "You're always running off without permission. First you worry your parents and now you're walking away from your duties. Get to the field." She growled and slapped his back. He scowled and backed away from her.

"Wait just a minute!" Ana grabbed her son's hand. "What were you doing in Akitziri?"

Gabrielle's eyes widened. "What a great question, Anastasia. I told him to go there to discuss the treaty with the Bey."

"What treaty?" The king asked.

Her face paled and she looked to Xena for guidance but all she got was a dramatic eye roll. "Um, you know those Akitziri Huns. They can be so stubborn," she lamented and Ana folded her arms, listening to the façade. "They wanted a share of the coin given by the Czar."

Ellac furrowed his eyebrows. "Then we will give it to them."

"You will?" Gabrielle's mouth gaped. "Of course you will. You're a very generous king. I should get started on the treaty right away." She smiled and Anastasia leaned over, staring into those deceitful emerald eyes of hers.

Xena leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, staring at Gabrielle, shaking her head curtly. The queen whipped her head around to her mother. "You're both lying goats," she accused.

"Anastasia, would I lie to you?"

"Yes. Both of you are lying to me!  _Someone_  tell me what is really going on!" she ordered loudly and Gabrielle bowed her head. She glared at her mother. "Can't rely on you." She then turned to Gabrielle. "And you're  _her_  accomplice. Csaba…" she smiled tersely at her son. " _Tatli cocuk_ …what is going on? I know you wouldn't lie to  _me_. Would you?"

He looked at his blonde aunt and then at his grandmother and his father then stared directly into his mother's eyes. "I…I…" he was immediately flustered by all the pairs of eyes upon him. "I went to see that girl I told you about."

Ana's eyes enlarged and Xena buried her face in her hand. "You went to see her?" her face lit up excitedly and Gabrielle slowly retreated, unsure if she wanted to see this volcano erupt. "When can we meet her? Your father and I were talking about marrying you off to someone but if we can meet this girl then that arrangement will be void."

"You would let me marry her?" he smiled brightly.

"If we meet her."

"Csaba, think carefully about what you're about to do," warned Gabrielle.

"Quiet!" Ana snapped and Xena frowned at her daughter. "So, who is she?"

His heart raced as if it was going to pop out of his chest and his stomach churned. "Her name is…Farah," he said and his mother's mouth parted. "You met her at Arielle's birthday…remember? She's very sweet and she likes me a lot."

"The Czarina of Banat?!" she screeched and he flinched, afraid he might get smacked. "Of all girls you had to pick  _her_?!" she balled her fists up and glared at her mother and Gabrielle who were trying to slip away. "And you two knew about this?"

They halted and sheepishly looked at the angry queen.

"Mother, don't be angry at them," pleaded the prince.

"Be quiet you!" she whipped her sword out and approached her mother and governor. "You two lied to my face. You kept this from me. How could you do this to me?"

Xena sighed. "Ana, we didn't know for a long time. What were you going to do when you found out eventually? Threaten her? Kill her? You know you can't stop this."

"I don't need lectures from you! You're the last person to give advice on something like this. You once said that if Ellac weren't the son of Attila that you'd kill him. Why would I take advice from  _you_?"

"That was a long time ago." She tried to explain and the end of the blade was thrust towards her. Gabrielle gasped and hid behind Xena, fearing for her life. "You were fifteen, Anastasia! It was different –this is different. Csaba is twenty one. He can make his own decisions!"

Ellac grabbed his wife by the shoulder. "Ana, put the sword down."

She spun around, breathing heavily, staring at the father of her son and frowned sadly. She lowered her blade and looked at her frightened son and a once in a lifetime, apologetic mother. How lucky was Csaba that he had a father around to care for him and she didn't ever have one.

"Maybe if my father was still alive you wouldn't have treated me the way you did growing up," she addressed her mother. She sheathed her sword and walked through Xena and Gabrielle.

"Anastasia, wait I –" Xena called out to her and Gabrielle gripped her hand for comfort.

Ellac grimaced at the two women. "I will go talk to her."

"But father! What about Farah?" Csaba yelled and he was ignored. He leaned over the railing and watched his father race down the stairs after his mother. He snarled at his grandmother. "Tell her and everything will be  _fine_? This is your fault!"

"This is not my fault!" Xena got up in her grandson's face. "You shouldn't have been sneaking behind everyone's backs!"

"Xena…" Gabrielle tried to keep the peace between the two. "Fighting won't solve anything."

"I should have known never to trust you," he glared at his grandmother. "You were horrible to my mother when she was with my father. And now that is rubbing off on her! She is turning into a bitter woman just like you!" he poked her chest with his finger and her lip curled. "Don't talk to me anymore." He stormed off.

Gabrielle covered her mouth and Xena gripped the wooden railing. "That went horribly…" she mentioned and the commander scoffed and left her side. "Xena, we can fix this!" she followed her. "Xena!"

* * *

The commander swung at a tree for the last couple of hours. Ever since the argument she had with Csaba and Anastasia yesterday, she couldn't do anything about it except to express her anger by hitting something. She wished the tree was a human target instead, but that would be awfully messy and far too barbaric. Now that Arielle was gone and Csaba was seeing Farah without his mother's permission, she was sure that Ana felt like she was losing control over her own children and her life.

It was nearly impossible to be a mother and a queen. That is one of the reasons why Kreka declined the position as commander although Kreka's sons seemed easier to handle because she allowed them to have freedoms that Arielle and Csaba didn't have. Xena hit the tree with her sword again, nearly chopping it down in half.

She frowned and swung at the bark again. The things that her daughter and grandson said to her were definitely hurtful and she had heard many hurtful things in her life but it never hurt worse than when the words came from the lips of her own family.

Gabrielle had finally worked up the nerve to go talk to her partner after watching her swing at the same tree for hours. Pieces of tree bark went flying and the trunk creaked and cracked. Within a few moments the tree toppled over and Xena frowned, now upset her target was gone. She searched for her next victim and spotted another tall tree.

"Xena wait," called Gabrielle."Hitting trees isn't going to make you feel better."

"Don't you have a meeting with Ellac about Odoacer or something?" Xena rubbed her sword on her pants and marched towards the next available tree.

Gabrielle watched her get ready to swing at the tree trunk again. "The meeting is later tonight." She said and Xena swiped her blade across the tree, cutting down a large branch. "You're going to dull your sword."

"I have other swords."

Alright, that's enough, Gabrielle thought. She marched forward and put herself in front of the tree right before Xena was about to swing her sword. "No more, Xena! No more!"

"Get out of my way, Gabrielle."

"I'm not moving. You need to go talk to Anastasia."

"She called me a horrible mother. She doesn't want to talk to me."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "No, she didn't. She didn't mean what she said. She was just angry. You know how she gets sometimes. You two always get into arguments. She is more like you than you'd both like to admit. I love her as much as you do and I don't like it when you fight. We've all overcome much worse than this!"

Xena still gripped her sword high into the air, ready to strike whether Gabrielle was in the way or not.

"What about the time when the Vandals took Anastasia and Ellac," she said, keeping her eyes on the glistening blade in the sunlight. "Or the time when the Romans attacked Balaam and almost took Anastasia. And that time you rescued Ellac from Queen Tomiri's stronghold in Scythia. Or when Bey Basil sold Ana, Ernak and Dengi to Odoacer." She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.

"Thank you for reminding me all of the travesties I've had to endure over the years. Now, get out of the way before I shish kabob you to the tree."

Gabrielle's eyes widened in fear and she was almost positive that Xena wasn't going to swing until she saw the sword coming down right before her eyes.

" _Xena_!" Kreka's voice boomed from behind and the commander halted her sword over Gabrielle's head.

"I'm busy, dragon lady."

"I see. Busy cutting down trees and almost slicing Gabrielle in two, hm?" the queen mother reached upward and grabbed Xena's wrist. "Give me the sword before you hurt someone."

"Let go Kreka or I'll slice you next."

Gabrielle creased her brows together and pulled out the Sais from her boots and whacked Xena's blade and swung her leg around, knocking her off her feet. Kreka grabbed the sword and pointed it at Xena's throat as she lay on the grass. Xena looked up at her blonde cohort in shock that she struck her. Gabrielle frowned apologetically and lowered the Sais to her sides.

She tried to get up and Kreka lifted her chin with the tip of the blade. "Stay down." She ordered in a firm voice and Xena gritted her teeth. "You really want to play this game with me, Xena? Because I am not in the mood for this foolishness."

Gabrielle tried to help Xena up but she was shunned away. She put back the Sais in her boot straps and Xena got up, brushing grass off her pants and finally the khatun lowered the blade and handed it back to her.

"I told Gabrielle to tell you to come talk to me first," Kreka told the commander.

Xena sheathed her sword and looked at Gabrielle with a forlorn expression. "Gabrielle tried to tell me. I didn't get to him in time and now Anastasia knows about Farah and she's furious."

"Let her be furious then."

"What?"

Kreka shrugged her shoulders. "Not much she can do. He isn't going to stop seeing her and there's nothing you or Anastasia can do about it. You weren't able to stop her and Ellac. What makes you think you can stop your grandson from doing the same thing?"

Gabrielle smirked and Xena recognized those words all too well. Now, she felt horrible for raising a sword to her. "Gabrielle…I'm –"

"I forgive you," she smiled warmly.

She returned a faint smile and spoke to the stoic khatun. "What am I supposed to do?"

Kreka sighed. "Don't do anything, Xena. You're wasting your energy on this. Focus on Justinian and Odoacer. They are more important. The Banat girl will be dealt one way or another. Anastasia needs to learn that she can't keep her son locked up like you did to her."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did, Xena. You thought keeping her locked away forever would solve everything but it didn't. She disobeyed you several times and lied to you. She's angry that she can't keep her son in locked cage like a bird. This is about her, not Csaba, not Farah and not… _you_."

"But…this is my fault."

Gabrielle shook her head. "No it's not. You can't protect her forever and she needs to learn that she can't protect Csaba forever either."

Kreka nodded. "You should listen to her." She winked and Xena quirked her mouth into a lopsided smile. "Now, please go do some commanding and forget about Anastasia for now."

"You're really turning into a big softie, you know that?" Xena teased the queen mother.

"Is that so? Would you like to put your money where your mouth is?"

Xena smiled and Gabrielle groaned at the two challenging one another. "Yeah? A duel then. In the orchards outside of the encampment. You pick the day."

"Ladies, this is ridiculous. You can't just –" Gabrielle tried to convince them otherwise.

"Deal." Kreka nodded and the two shook hands. "We'll see how your right hook has held up over the years,  _grandma_."

Xena raised her eyebrow and gripped the woman's forearm tightly and Kreka's eyes widened. "Should I remind you that you are a grandmother as well?"

"Oh yes, of course, but you have more experience in that department. You've been one for a very  _long_  time, Xena. You must  _teach_  me your ways."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and grabbed Xena's arm and dragged her away. "Enough of this silliness. We have to get to Anastasia and Ellac. We have a very important meeting to discuss and –" she suddenly heard laughter from her partner and turned around swiftly. "Something… _amusing_  to you?"

Xena bit her bottom lip and shook her head at the serious blonde governor.

"Alright..." She continued walking whilst dragging the commander along. "If Ellac decides to ally with Odoacer then we should possibly create some kind of coup or diversion. And then maybe –" that laughter arose again and she snarled. "Xena!"

"You're acting like a grumpy old lady, Gabrielle. Come on…" she gently hit the governor in the shoulder.

She gasped. "I am not old!"

"And neither am I." Xena walked ahead of her. "Are you coming or what?" she whistled on her way to the Adame.

* * *

Ernak stood awkwardly in his brother's throne chambers standing opposite of the commander and governor who kept gawking at him strangely. "I uh…I'm filling in for Ellac and Anastasia." He said and Gabrielle shared a look with Xena.

"So you know about the deal with Odoacer then?" asked the stoic governor.

"I was briefed on it before you both arrived." He smiled and Xena crossed her arms, unimpressed by the young king regent. "They should be here later this evening."

"Really?" Xena nodded and he kept smiling. "And  _where_  are they?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know or you won't say?" she pressed and he chuckled nervously. "Ernak!"

"I really don't know where they are!" he lamented. "Can we please just discuss this alliance now?"

Xena turned a cold cheek and Gabrielle stepped forward to go ahead and talk of the alliance. While the two were busy discussing Odoacer and his schemes, Xena couldn't help but wonder where Ellac and Anastasia went. She knew that her daughter was upset and realized recently that she had been very irritable and anxious lately. Kreka was right to say that she shouldn't worry about Ana, but it was hard not to.

She too, had wondered what life would have been like if Borias had lived and they raised their daughter together. She had thought about that scenario many times throughout her life, especially when Ana was a baby. For the first few weeks after Anastasia was born she was completely numb and she was alone. She saw that same look of horror on her own daughter's face when Csaba was born, but it was different. She had Ellac by her side and her mother of course and many other people to help. Xena just had Cera and no one else but after the young queen gave birth to Ellac and died, she had nobody again.

She had a feeling that if Borias was alive that Anastasia would have never been with Ellac and she wouldn't have been raised as a boy either. Ana would have probably married someone else when she came of age and maybe would even have a younger brother or sister.

"Are you sure you don't know where they are? I would rather discuss this with them, no offense," Gabrielle said to the king's regent.

Ernak sighed. "I don't know, Gabrielle. I am being honest. If I knew where they were then I would tell you."

She nodded. "Alright then it's settled. We ally with Odoacer and post soldiers along the borders of Pannonia and Dalmatia in case he decides to come into our territory." She turned and frowned at Xena who was dazing off. "Xena, are you listening?"

The commander blinked and stared at the governor and doe-eyed regent. "What?"

"Now is not the time to be daydreaming, Xena," she cocked her brow and muttered, "unusual behavior for you anyway." She cleared her throat and pointed her finger in the commander's chest. "We're going to round up some soldiers to protect the borders of Pannonia and Dalmatia. I need you to do that tomorrow morning."

"Dalmatia and Pannonia borders. Got it." Xena smiled falsely.

Gabrielle rested a hand on her cocked hip and saw Ana and Ellac storm into the room. She gasped and Xena spun around, equally surprised as the governor. The two watched the monarchs barge through the room with ferocity, especially Anastasia.

Anastasia stopped and stared at Gabrielle and her mother. "Csaba and Farah are gone."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Gabrielle asked with concern.

"He left for Akitziri yesterday and he took Farah with him. When the Czar finds out his daughter has been kidnapped by my son all hell will break loose!"

Xena approached her daughter cautiously. "He didn't kidnap her, Ana. If they left, she went willingly."

"That's not what her father is going to think." She swiped her sword across the table and sliced through a large vase filled with quill pens. "I want them found!"

"I can find them for you," Xena offered.

Gabrielle frowned and tapped her shoulder. "You're supposed to secure the borders."

"Ernak and Dengi can do that. I am excellent at tracking people. I can find them easily." She smiled, hoping her daughter would agree to allow her to do this, although her daughter did not look happy. "Kreka can come with me and Gabrielle."

"Say what?" Gabrielle didn't like being roped into this. "I didn't agree to this!"

"It won't take me long to find them and bring them home. I'm sure they haven't gone far. We'll be back before Odoacer and his army invades Dalmatia."

Ana tapped the sword against the cleared off desk and unexpectedly embraced her mother tightly which took Xena off guard. "Bring him back," she muffled a whisper as she buried her face in her mother's hair.

Xena smiled softly now knowing that her daughter had not completely lost faith in her and didn't hate her. "I will." She pulled away and kissed her forehead then grabbed Gabrielle's hand. "We'll leave tomorrow morning."

Gabrielle frowned and looked back at the three Hun monarchs. "Okay but tomorrow we need the borders secured! And write down everything that General Basilius says! And –" she yelped as she was yanked out of the room by her cohort.

Ernak looked over at his elder brother swayed back and forth on his heels. "So, does this mean that I'm the commander while Xena is away?"

The king pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a hefty groan mixed with a sigh. "Yes, Ernak. You're the commander."

He smiled and clapped his hands together. "Excellent! I must go tell Bakkah that I will be gone for awhile. Dengi is going to be peeved!" he ran out of the chambers and Ellac shook his head at brother's cheery disposition.

"So," he looked at his distraught wife. "What did Justinian say?"

Anastasia stared at the open doors and couldn't take her mind off of her son. "He…isn't interested in a new peace treaty." She turned to him with blank lifeless eyes. "We should prepare the army in case we are attacked. You will take my mother's place and continue training the new recruits. We can't put everything on hold." She took in a deep breath and left his side.

He grabbed her arm and she spun around with a ferocious stare. "They're going to find him, Anastasia."

* * *

Xena and Gabrielle barged into the khatun's room just as she was combing through her wet hair. Xena smiled and Kreka gently placed the comb on the vanity. "How would you like to go on a little trip with us tomorrow?"

Kreka eyed the annoyed governor. Gabrielle frowned with folded arms up at Xena. "I was roped into this."

"I take it…something happened?" she asks the commander.

"Csaba took Farah and they ran away. Gabrielle and I promised –"

"No!  _You_  promised. Not me." The governor was quick to retort.

Xena released a hefty nose breath and clenched her hand tightly. " _I_  promised Anastasia I would bring them back. And I said you would come too."

Kreka drummed her fingers on the vanity. "Why do you need me?"

"Because…I just do."

The khatun grinned. "Oh, you need my help, do you?" she rose from the chair and walked over to the commander. "Come on," she poked her in the chest, "I want to hear you say it."

Xena looked into those smug hazel eyes and Gabrielle slapped her arm unexpectedly. "Just say it already!" snaps the blonde.

"Fine! I need your help, alright…." She grumbled and Kreka's smile grew.

"I'd be happy to help since you asked so  _sweetly_ ," she pinched Xena's cheek and received a snarl. "I'll see you two in the morning. Now, get out of my room."


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, drifting away from the teenagers in this chapter. On to the root of the problem :)**

**Another note: While I don't know the names of all the Hun wives, I made up their names but they are very much real. The only wife that has her real name in this series is Ernak's wife, Bakkah. And Prince Csaba did in fact kidnap the Banat Czarina in order to make the people of Banat submit to him and the empire.**

Chapter 7

Xena laid out a large map that she took out from underneath the bed in their yurt. Gabrielle frowned and set down a tray of coffee and gazed at the map, cocking her head from side to side. Xena set down some paperweights on the corners of the large map that took up almost the entirety of the large rug.

"Um, where did you get that?" Gabrielle asked a little surprised that she had never seen that map before in her entire life living in Pannonia.

Xena blew off the dust and Gabrielle coughed. She sprawled her hands across the map with a big smile. "This is Attila's map of all the Hun tribes. There's Akitziri, Khazar, Suevi, Atlyn, Bulgur, Onogur and….Ashina," she frowned sadly, thinking of the khatun's loss. "There's the White Huns," she pointed to the Caucasus Mountains. "We've lost the Onogur and Ashina. This map is really outdated but it has everyone surrounding us. The Magyars and Scythia and don't forget about those bastard Gokturks."

Gabrielle sat down on the floor and gave her cohort a glass of steaming black coffee. Since they were leaving tomorrow to find Csaba and Farah, she guessed that Xena wanted to look at a map first. "If it's so outdated then why are you using it?"

"Because it's still somewhat accurate except Pannonia is a lot bigger now and we have Bulgurs and the remaining Onogurs living with us. The Persians no longer have their empire anymore." She snickered at that, wondering how the Shah brothers were fairing now in a barren wasteland.

In between the Persian Empire and Hun Empire there was a large stretch of land that was unmarked, which intrigued the governor. She tapped her finger on the location. "What tribe lives there?"

Xena waved her hand. "Nobody lives there. I'm sure Justinian has control over that territory now considering it's within his reach." She sipped the hot coffee and burned her tongue in the process. She gasped and bit her tongue, hissing lightly. Gabrielle smiled and kept her laughter inwardly as she gazed at the map. "Csaba and Farah couldn't have gone far. He knows the area but not as well as I do. He might have gone to Navaz's area."

"I don't think he would do that. If he took off with Farah then he probably doesn't want anybody to know where he is." She concluded.

"You're right. Good thinking, Gabrielle." She nodded and planted her finger on the Khazar region which belonged in the old Sassan Empire. "Maybe he is here? The Khazars don't know him by his face."

"Xena, why would he go to another Hun tribe to run away? That doesn't make any sense."

The commander sighed and rested her chin on her knuckles. "Well, I don't know where else he could have gone. Maybe we should ask Navaz if he's seen him and Farah."

Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders. "It's a start." She said and looked at the map again and there was the Banat province inside Transylvania. "How come you never mentioned Banat before? They seem like important people."

"They like to lay low. They've never caused trouble with us or with the Romans before. The Czar was said to give money to Theodosius as a bargaining tool so he wouldn't be attacked."

Interesting, she thought. "And what about Zeno? How come he never invaded Banat?"

"Who knows? That insane bastard never did anything that made sense. Anastasius was the only emperor that I liked." She frowned. "He would have made the Roman Empire great."

"Yes he would have but now we have no allies and we obviously can't trust Odoacer. He's a bad seed."

"He's more than that," mumbled Xena. She lifted her eyes and smiled faintly. "I hear horses leaving. General Basilius must be heading back to tell Odoacer the  _good_  news. Hopefully Anastasia and Ellac made the alliance sound convincing enough."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "I think you're the one who should be securing the borders. It's not that I don't trust Ernak and Dengi but you're…"

"I'm what?"

"Better at it than them."

Xena smiled proudly. "Why thank you, governor, you're too kind." She winked at the blonde. "You're not a bad governor, yourself. I'm impressed by your skills."

"You thought I was going to be bad at it?!" she asked, sounding a bit hurt.

"I didn't say that. I just said I'm impressed."

"Which is code for 'disbelief' and 'shock'." She crossed her arms, pouting silently.

Xena scoffed. "Come off it, Gabrielle. You're good. I don't give out compliments often. Take it or leave it."

"Wow I feel so honored," she sarcastically alleged.

* * *

After four days leaving Akitziri, Csaba and Farah rode far away from Hun territory. Farah grew tired of traveling for days on end as she wasn't used to traveling more than a day from place to place. Csaba was not fazed considering he traveled much longer distances than four days. His parents traveled weeks to reach certain destinations but he hadn't realized that Farah was not accustomed to this lifestyle. She definitely was a spoiled princess.

"I'm sorry for making you travel so much," he apologized and she lifts her head off his shoulder and smiles, tightening her grip around his waist.

"It's alright. I've never traveled more than two days," she said with a heavy sigh and he chuckled. "Where are we going exactly?" she looked around at the unfamiliar territory and there was nothing in sight for miles. They were in the middle of a desert of some sort.

Luckily, Gabrielle trained him well to read maps correctly and he memorized the entire map from Western Rome to Persia, although he'd never been to Persia himself, he knew the Shah brothers were lurking there. Those two probably were poor and suffering greatly in their wasteland outside of Persia in a small territory by now. He also realized that his parents and Navaz owned Persian land now and it was considered Hun territory. He didn't want to be anywhere Hunnic tribes anymore, including the Khazar, which he knew lived not far from where they were at the moment.

He frowns and looks ahead to see civilization ahead. Khazars, he gathers. "We're in old Persia right now. There's got to be a river around here somewhere," he mutters.

She yawns and rests her head against his back again, closing her eyes. She felt the horse jerk to the left and it jarred her awake. "Where are we going?" she saw people ahead but perhaps she was seeing things.

"We're going northeast around Khazar territory. We can stop in Kazakhstan for food. It's about two days ride from here."

She groans and he smiles sadly, knowing that she was growing impatient. He didn't want to talk to any Nezak Huns while in Kazakhstan either and he hoped that Malka wasn't there either because then he'd tell his parents of his whereabouts. He'd have to lay low, extremely low, and stay in the territory for a limited time.

"There are a lot of Hun tribes scattered across the Steppes," she takes notice.

"Yes, there definitely are, but we are riding far from them. We need to go further east into Asia."

"Asia?!" she spits out. "What are we going to do in Asia?"

"We'll see when we get there," he kissed her hand and kicked the horse and took off, riding through the barren Persian land.

* * *

Xena held a handful of soil in her palm and let it trickle in between her fingers. She stood up and surveyed the open snowy landscape that was just outside of Balaam. Four days of traveling and they were so close to Balaam but not close enough. She also couldn't find any more tracks led by Csaba's horse.

"I taught him how to cover tracks too well," she lamented, feeling defeated already. Kreka looked to Gabrielle worriedly. "The horse tracks stop here which means they continued on foot which seems unlikely because it's cold and they wouldn't get very far. He must have bought a different horse after walking for awhile."

Gabrielle trotted up alongside her and proposed, "Well if he came up north then maybe he continued traveling north?"

"He's not stupid. He knew that his mother would send someone out to look for him and he probably knew it was going to be  _me_." She grunted and hopped back onto her horse.

"Perhaps we should continue to Balaam and ask for Navaz's help, Xena." Kreka said and Gabrielle agreed with a nod of her head. She saw that Xena didn't like that suggestion. "We aren't going to get anywhere wandering around White Hun territory. This area is too large and it's way too cold! We should ask for help."

"She's right, Xena. We tracked him this far but he obviously outsmarted us."

Xena growled. "Fine! We will ask Navaz for help!" she yanked the reins and trotted through the thick snowy terrain.

* * *

Arielle lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling while she threw a rubber ball at the chandelier for the last hour or so. Her little brother, Soran, jumped on her bed and smiled down at her. She frowned at him and caught the ball in midair. "What do you want?" she grumpily asked.

The brunette prince plopped down on the bed and crossed his legs. "You wanna play a game with me, Arielle?"

"No thanks."

"Please? Come on! You're not doin' anything!" he shook her arm and pouted.

She snarled and sat up, staring at her little brother. She never thought she'd be annoyed by a sibling of hers until now. Soran was only a few months older than Cera but he was far more annoying than she ever was. Arielle never realized it until she actually spent every waking moment with him since she was confined to the Adame.

"I'm busy." She lay back down and continued throwing the ball at the chandelier.

He huffed and folded his small arms. "No you're not!" he said and she lifted her eyebrow at him. "Ari-ell-eeee!" he shook her body vigorously and she groaned.

"Get out of my face, you little maggot!" she yelled and he gasped and fell silent. Soran climbed off the bed and ran out of her room. She sighed. "Soran, wait!" she ran out of her room and he ran down the hallway, probably going to tell his mother what she said. "Great…"

She heard the drums outside and quickly ran to her window. A big grin plastered across her face when she saw Gabrielle, her grandmother and Kreka Khatun riding through the gates. She turned around and ran to her door and bumped into her stepmother. Her mouth gaped and she stepped backward. Soran frowned, furrowing his eyebrows as he hid behind Fairuza's dress.

The queen folded her arms and glared at the princess. "Did you call your brother a maggot?"

Arielle smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called him that he was just annoying me so much!" she peered at her little brother. "Soran, I'm sorry," she quickly said and tried to bypass her stepmother but she blocked the way. "Hey! My grandma is outside! I want to see her!"

Fairuza smirked. "Do you? You're staying in your room."

"What! But that's not fair!"

"Oh well." The redhead queen shrugged her shoulders and Soran smiled, enjoying his elder sister's reprimanding. She walked out with Soran and closed the door. Arielle gasped and tried opening the door but it was locked.

"Fairuza!" she shouted and knocked on the door. "Let me out! I said I was sorry!"

Navaz rounded the corner and heard Arielle pounding on her door and looked at his wife curiously as they were about to cross paths. "What is going on?"

"She called me a maggot!" Soran protested and puffed out his little chest.

"Do you even know what a maggot is?" he asked his son.

"Yeah! It's a tiny worm!" he explained and Navaz sighed.

"So you locked her in her room?" he questioned his wife.

Fairuza's eyes turned to the princess' room and then frowned at her king. "Navaz, she has been very unruly since she got here! She doesn't listen to me and she broke one of the large vases in the foyer! You are not here to watch her all the time so I have to."

He shook his head and went to unlock his daughter's door. "Xena is here and wants to see her."

"But Navaz! You are undermining me. She should be punished for the things she has done!"

"Enough!" he hissed and she flinched and Soran clung to her dress. He opened the door and Arielle nearly fell onto the floor but he was able to catch her in time. She smiled up at her father and hugged him tightly.

She turned when her grandmother, Gabrielle and Kreka entered the hallway. She let go of her father and instantly ran to the three women and wrapped her arms as best as she could, around all three of them. "I'm so glad to see you guys!"

"Us too," Gabrielle said.

"Are you here to take me home? Please tell me you're here to take me home," she begged and grabbed her grandmother's fur coat.

Xena pinched her granddaughter's chin. "I'm afraid not, Arielle. We're here about something else. I hope you're being good for Fairuza."

"Uh…" the princess looked back at her fuming stepmother. "I could be better…"

Xena hit her gently in the arm and then she got another swat from Kreka Khatun as well. "My god!" Arielle rubbed her arm and scratched her burning thigh. "I'll be good, okay! Just don't hit me anymore…" she backed away slowly from the two authoritative figures.

Xena rolled her eyes and wagged her fingers, instructing Navaz to come closer. "We need your help. Csaba ran away with the Czarina of Banat. He came through your territory but must have traded a horse or something and went somewhere else."

He rubbed his beard. "What do you need from me?"

The petite blonde stepped forward. "We were hoping that you could lend us some scouts to help find them. His tracks went dry as soon as he came here. The snow is too thick in this region."

"Sure. I can send some scouts with you. I'd come help you but I have other matters to attend to."

"What kind of matters?" asked Kreka.

He sighed heftily. "The Gokturks left the mountains and relocated. I want to make sure that Balaam is safe so I must stay here but you are welcome to all my scouts. I'm sure Zolten would love to help." The three women looked at each other, telepathically agreeing to the king's gesture. "I hope Csaba is safe. You said he's with the Czarina? Would that be Farah?"

"He's been seeing her secretly without Anastasia's permission." The commander explained.

"Can't control her daughter and now her son," he scoffed.

She got in the king's face and narrowed her eyes. "That is my daughter you're talking about, Navaz," she said in a threatening tone. "Who is also the mother of your child, may I remind you."

He placed a hand over his chest and knew he instantly overstepped his bounds. "You know I care for Anastasia a lot. She  _was_  my queen at one point in time."

"Hmm…"

"Xena, let's go. We don't have a lot of time on our hands," Gabrielle pressured her.

* * *

Two days of searching since they left Balaam and they weren't able to find any trace of Csaba and his little girlfriend. By the suggestion of Gabrielle, they stopped to make camp and continue their search in the morning when everyone was rested. Navaz did promise to give scouts and Zolten, his general, accompanied them all. Surrounding a small campfire, Kreka sat opposite of the two women and poked the fire with a long stick. All were grateful to be out of the cold snowy plains of Balaam. It was hard to believe that it was spring in that area and be covered in shelves of snow while Pannonia was bright, grassy and blooming with gorgeous flowers all over.

Packing light, they only brought some bread stuffed in the saddlebags and of course plenty of water, which seemed to be of no use given the amount of rivers surrounding the Caucasus region. Gabrielle pulled out a large portion of the bread and tore it in half to share with the weary khatun and her commander which Xena took a quick glance and snubbed the offer.

She wasn't prepared for this long journey and the more she stared at the commander the more sorry she felt for her. Anastasia always wanted her mother to be normal and that day may never come. Xena was so worried about everything when it came to her family and it showed, especially when she refused food. If only her enemies knew how compassionate and kind she could be. If only they knew how much her family meant to her, they'd probably rip her to shreds and attack every single family member just to spite her.

She had put up with a lot over the years and Gabrielle saw the wear and tear on that face she loved to see every morning when she awoke. Though she did not appear to be her age unlike Kreka and the silver streaks that continued to pop out of nowhere, making her appear much older than she actually was. No, Xena was younger than most living commanders out there. Aetius was older than her and Zeno was too, as well as Theodosius. Perhaps, Gabrielle thought, the years of commanding an entire nation was finally catching up to the worrisome commander.

"You should eat something," says Gabrielle.

"I'm not hungry."

"We've been traveling for six days now and you have hardly eaten anything." She tries pushing the bread into her loved one's face but was shunned.

Xena knew that Gabrielle cared for her and she has shown it in several ways, food being one of them. It wasn't really about the food, it was about showing her kindness and opening herself up for a conversation that Xena just didn't want to have.

"The moment I had Anastasia I knew I was in for it. I had no idea what to do with her. She was so small and fragile that I was afraid to touch her." She pulls her fists close to her chest as if imagining her infant daughter again. Kreka ceased feeding the fire and listened to Xena spill her feelings and thoughts all over the table, which was unusual.

She added, "I didn't know how I was going to keep a small creature alive for the rest of her life. Those few times when she was taken from me, be it by Romans, Vandals or rogue Huns, I wanted to burn everything in sight and kill anyone in my path to get her back." She let out a heave of a sigh that was holding in for far too long without realizing. "I promised I would do anything to protect her and I promised I would find Csaba and bring him home. I never break my promises but if I can't –"

Gabrielle put a stop to those dark thoughts and set the bread down, paying attention to the commander. "Xena, don't say things like that. We're going to find him."

"But something isn't right. I have a feeling that he's in danger."

"We need to keep thinking positively. You can't let those thoughts enter your mind, Xena, because I'm not ready for that side of you to come out and neither are you. I don't like it when that head of yours wanders off into that dark abyss." She poked Xena's noggin with a playful jab.

Xena couldn't shake the unsettling feeling in the spit of her stomach. She digs her fingers into her lush hair and gapes at the fire. "If anything has happened to him and I find out who is responsible they're going to wish that they never lay eyes on me."

Out of all the women in Attila's life, Xena was the least liked among Kreka's pick of the flock. But over the years, many years, she had grown to at least tolerate and get along with the ruthless commander. Although, she was not much of a ruthless commander anymore, at least not the woman Kreka used to know. Still, she had no problem lolling people's heads off and driving her sword into her enemies, she was much softer than she used to be, soft at all the right moments.

"Csaba may not be my blood grandson but Ellac is my stepson and I've loved both of them just as much you," spoke Kreka and Xena cast a pair of soft eyes towards her. "If he is in trouble I won't be the one holding your sword back," she says with a twinkle in her hazel eyes. "I can't speak for Gabrielle though."

The governor knew that Kreka was just teasing her but she didn't like being the crutch of Xena's problems either. "I would do anything to save Csaba, you know that."

A bit defensive, the khatun took notice. "I know. You helped raise him after all. You used to be his confidant once upon a time." She snatches the uneaten bread off Gabrielle's lap and tore a piece off and tossed it back at her face.

Gabrielle caught the loaf of bread and watched the hazel eyed woman wink at her while ripping her teeth into the bread. Xena was not in the mood to retort back to the snooty khatun like she normally did which concerned Gabrielle. She reaches for the commander's hand and pressed her thigh against Xena's.

As much as Xena loved her companion of many years she didn't want her love and compassion at the moment. She wanted to crush something. She wanted to stab someone. She was angry that she might fail her daughter which meant she fails herself as well. She did not receive Gabrielle's warm hand of comfort and instead laced her fingers together, brooding quietly.

"Why did he have to go after a princess? Why couldn't he like a simple girl like Leila or Bakkah!" she lashed out.

Kreka frowned. "Hey! Those are my sons' wives you're talking about, Xena."

"It wasn't an insult."

Gabrielle brought her knees close to her chest and insolates herself from the commander beside her. "Who cares if Farah is a princess? You get angry at everything, Xena. Anastasia wasn't a princess when she fell in love with Ellac!"

"But she is  _my_  daughter! The commander's daughter! This is the same if not more crucial!"

"Why does it have to be?" says Gabrielle with a softer voice. "You said it yourself that arranged marriages are outdated and ridiculous. You never even got married anyway!"

Xena hastily replied, not willing to let someone one up her in an argument. "That is beside the point!"

Kreka scoffs at the two. "Would you two stop this? Who cares if Csaba likes Farah? We need to focus on returning them home and you two can't stop bickering. Get over yourselves." She finished the last of the bread and wiggled the crumbs off her fingers. She stands up and smoothes out her dress while the two stare at her intently. "Honestly, you two are driving me mad with your arguing. You're worse than a husband and wife squabbling. I'm going to bed and don't dare wake me up until sunrise. I'm talking to you,  _Xena_."

Gabrielle chuckles softly which annoyed Xena.

"Why are you laughing?"

"She's right," she cocked her head, staring at the blue eyes lit up by the campfire. "We'll stop at nothing to find him and I'll be right here with you like always."

Xena's face softens and she grabbed the governor's thigh. "Like always."

* * *

While Ernak and Dengi were in charge of guarding the borders of Pannonia and Dalmatia, Ebnedzar and his son, Oran, were in charge of guarding the Adame. Things in the royal family were not going well over the last week and since Xena and Gabrielle were gone, Ellac had to manage and train the new recruits and look after the Banat army by himself. Meanwhile, Anastasia took over Gabrielle's job temporarily and she never realized how much she gave Gabrielle until now when she looked over several documents and treaties presented by other Hun Beys from the surrounding tribes.

A large black caravan, pulled by black stallions pulled up to the Adame and Ebnedzar swatted his lazy son to jerk him awake. General Balasz and his wife, Rabia stepped out of the caravan and Ebnedzar rolled his eyes at the Banat royalty, especially the Czarina, who did not look pleased.

Oran recognized that woman and knew her to be Farah's elder sister. "Oh great. Should I get Queen Anastasia, father?"

"No. We must wait until they state their purpose."

Rabia marched up the steps, carrying her heavy blue dress. She was met with two Huns blocking her way. "Stand aside, Huns. I want to speak with the Queen about her son."

"I can't let you in, Czarina. The queen is very busy at the moment," says Ebendzar.

"I don't care if she's busy. Her good for nothing son kidnapped my sister! I demand to speak with her!"

Ebnedzar really wanted to sock this irritating woman in the mouth but refrained, especially since her husband was approaching quickly. "Czarina, I told you, she is busy. I can send someone in to tell her that you have arrived."

"Fine. Do that then. I will wait right here." Rabia crosses her arms and glares at the younger Hun. "Why are you looking at me, you swine?"

Oran frowned and puffed out his chest and looked out at the field, over the woman's head.

Only moments later Anastasia stepped outside and braced herself for the raging Czarina waiting. She took in a deep breath and even went over what she was going to say to Rabia or anyone from Farah's family, days earlier. Stay calm, she says to still herself, and she walked through Ebnedzar and Oran at the top of the staircase and Rabia uncrosses her arms the instant she sees her.

"Queen Anastasia!" she growled.

Ana raised her hand as a greeting. "Czarina, I'm glad that you came here."

"Your son stole my sister! My father almost had a heart attack when I told him what happened! Where are they? Where did that bastard take my sister?"

 _Bastard_? Oh, don't play this game with me, Szekely woman. "Silence!" she yelled and Rabia took a step down, surprised by her tone. "I have my people looking for them. They will be returned safely, I can promise you that, Czarina. I hope this will not hinder our alliance with your father."

General Balasz stepped forward in front of his irate wife. "The Czar is not happy, your highness. Your son has caused quite a rift between our people and yours. If Farah is not returned to Banat safely I cannot assure your empire's safety against Justinian or any other society."

She certainly felt the pressure but had faith in her mother, Gabrielle and Kreka to make sure that Csaba and Farah come back safely and in one piece. She smiles brightly in front of the Szekely royals. "She will be brought back to your people safely."

"Your son ruined my sister's engagement!" Rabia yells at the queen.

Ana frowned confusedly and stepped down, eyeing the Czarina with dagger-like eyes. "My son did not ruin anything. Your sister is also responsible. He did not act alone." Why did this sound so familiar to her?

"He obviously seduced her," she snubbed her nose at the Hun Queen. "All you Huns know how to do is invade lands, bear children and marry multiple women." She huffed. "Because of your son, my sister is no longer able to marry anyone of noble status!"

Ana's mother always told her that not everyone liked their kind and now she was beginning to see that and not in a war manner of speaking. This was personal. "Careful of what you say, Czarina. My son is a prince. He is not a lowlife no body that swooned your sister into bed. Hun men treat their women very well here. My son would never take advantage of Farah and if he did, I would see that he is punished for it. You are always welcome in my empire and home." She bows her head to Rabia and her husband.

The Czarina groaned and stormed down the stairs, waving her hand to the horsemen to ready the caravan for departure. Balasz briefly bowed to the queen and ran after his wife. Oran whistled and Anastasia frowns at the Szekely royals as they left the heartland of Pannonia.

"You were very nice, Teyze Ana," the cousin of Csaba noted.

"See to it that I get reports from Ernak and Dengi immediately," she fiercely walked back into the Adame.

* * *

Ernak sat on his horse, observing the Roman army stomping their way into Dalmatia from the border of Pannonia. He really hated this side of Pannonia because hardly anyone lived in it and it was hours away from the inland. So far, Odoacer had yet to make an appearance and he felt this security on the border was unnecessary because the Romans didn't even know they were watching.

"This is fucking stupid," he muttered and Dengi shot him a look.

"Gabrielle ordered us to stay at the border. Stop being a baby and keep watching."

"We've been here for two weeks, Dengi!" he griped and crossed his arms. "I say we should go back. This is pointless to be here. This is Xena's job anyway."

Dengi let out a deep groan and punched his brother's arm. "We have orders. We're staying here until told otherwise." He turned back to observe the Roman army and finally saw Odoacer, riding in the back of the legion. "There's the bastard right now," he nudged his head and Ernak looked over the hill and smiled.

"I can't believe Ellac is allowing this invasion to happen. We have no quarrels with the Dalmatians."

"Anastasia said that this is a trap so that's why we're on the border in case we get attacked," Dengi reassured his little brother. "And I can't believe Ellac made you king regent. You're so immature."

"He didn't make you regent because you were a horrible king! I was a much better king than you," he snickers and receives a glare from his elder brother. "Besides, I am a better king than Ellac too. I only gave him the crown because he is the oldest."

Dengi's eyes widened. "You shouldn't talk like that, brother. Those words could get you killed. Ellac doesn't care if you're his blood or not."

While the two brothers bickered with each other a group of assassins crept into the camp and slit the throats of Hun soldiers behind them, which went unnoticed. The assassins, dressed in black, crouched down and came up behind the princes' horses and slit the back of their hindquarters.

The horses reared on their back hooves and kicked their front legs, neighing uncontrollably. Dengi held onto the reigns, trying to calm the wild horse. One of the assassins jumped up and stabbed Ernak in his side with a short sword then backed away, leaving the sword and ran off with the other assassins.

Dengi fell off the horse and looked up at his brother, clutching a sword stuck inside his side. "Ernak!" he jumped up to aid his brother and looked at the blood seeping from the wound. "Who did this?!" he yelled and turned to see half of his men dead on the grass with their throats slit.

Ernak pulled out the sword and clamped his palm on the wound. "Assassins!" he hissed. "I want them found and I want them dead!" he yells and falls off the horse into his brother's arms.

"We'll find them," Dengi says and rips a piece of his robe off and wrapped it around his brother's waist. He glared at the oblivious soldiers that stood in shock. "Go back to the Adame! Tell the king we were attacked by assassins!"

* * *

The black clothed assassins ran up to their leader and took the masks off their faces. "We assaulted one of the Hun princes, your majesty."

A woman sat on her horse, staring at the Hun camp and the Romans below, slowly making their way into Dalmatia. She rubbed her leather gloved fingers together and snarled in disgust at the Huns. She bats her brown eyes down at the assassins and nods curtly, dismissing them for the day. She flicks her long black hair behind her shoulder and observes the prince dragging his wounded brother across the grass.

A horseman with long dark braided hair approached her and glared at the Huns. He was about the same age as Ellac, maybe a couple of years his senior. His eyes flickered at the arrogant Hun princes. "Mother, why did you not kill the Hun prince? He yet lives."

She smiles softly at her son. "I need him alive, Balmaq. The other Hun will alert the king and queen that the young brother has been attacked."

"And when do we ransack Pannonia?" he asked, a bit too eager to have his hands wrapped the Hun king's throat.

"Not yet. We must wait until the king is alerted. He will send search parties looking for the assassins that he won't find," she smiled and pulled on the reigns, steering her horse away from the Hun camp. "I want the Hun Queen brought to our camp."

Balmaq nodded. "Yes mother. What about the king?"

"I don't care about him!" she hisses and he flinches at her harsh tone. She smiles, softening her hard exterior and her son raised an eyebrow. "Just see that it is done. I don't want anyone to raise any alarms in Pannonia. Watch her closely and catch her when she's alone. You understand?"

He nods again and trots off to find his other two brothers to tell them of the plan. She hopped off her horse and walks through the secluded camp in the forests deep inside the borders of Dalmatia and Pannonia. Her soldiers bowed their heads as she passed by and she stormed into her tent and ripped off her black headdress and threw it on the floor.

She ruffled her pin straight hair and looked at her pale complexion in the mirror and slipped the leather gloves off. She grimaced at her reflection and pinched her cheeks to bring back some color in her face.

One of her youngest sons walked into her tent and she turned, smiling at the dark haired young man. "Iliger, did Balmaq tell you about the plan?"

"Yes, mother," he bows his head. "What are you planning to do with the Hun Queen?"

"You'll see. Now, go away. I need to send a letter to Justinian."

* * *

Gabrielle rode ahead of everyone else to scope out the area and found an abandoned camp with a good amount of yurts. She whistled up to the commander and khatun then waved her hand. Xena and Kreka trotted down the sand dune and she pointed to the camp.

"I thought you said nobody lived in this area," she recalled the map that Attila had and they were in the stretch of land between Hun territory and old Persia.

Xena observed the abandoned camp and it looked similar to Pannonia, minus all the pastures and forests. She didn't recognize this area and wasn't very familiar with it either. "Csaba couldn't have come through here. There are no resources."

Kreka trotted down into the camp and Gabrielle gasped. "Kreka, don't! There could be people down there!"

She ignored the governor and hopped off her horse, walking through the camp. She peeked into a few yurts and everything was gone inside, except a few large rugs. She kicked over a pot which was supposed to be filled with water, but was filled with sand instead.

"There's nothing here!" she shouted. So then Xena, Gabrielle and Navaz's scouts trailed in with caution. "This place is a pile of goat shit," she reached down and picked up a wooden doll that must have belonged to a child at one point.

Xena dismounted the horse and took a look around. She saw a huge yurt that must have belonged to the leader of this place. Curious enough, she stepped inside and all that was left were a few low tables and couches, but everything else was taken. She turned and bumped into the blonde governor.

She frowned and Gabrielle stepped out of her way and took a look around the massive yurt for herself. "Well, whoever lived here was in a hurry to leave. They left so much stuff." She blew dust off one of the tables and opened one of the drawers to a vanity set. "This is a woman's yurt."

"How do you know?" asked Xena.

Gabrielle pulled out a set of pearl earrings and necklace to match. "Who do you think lived here? Could it be the Khazar Huns?"

The commander sighed, unknowing the answer. "Could be but why would they leave?"

Kreka walked into the yurt and cringed at the sight of the mess that was left. "I don't like this place. This territory was attacked by someone. People tried to pack up before someone invaded that's why there are a lot of belongings left behind."

"Is this Khazar territory?" Gabrielle approached her and put the pearls back into the vanity drawer.

"They probably relocated after the Sassan Empire was dismantled and settled here. But it looks like they were driven out by someone else."

"Persians?"

"I don't think so. We haven't heard anything from the Shah brothers." Kreka sighed, slowly becoming depressed to see yet another tribe be destroyed by invaders. She lost her tribe and the Onogur ceased to exist and now the Khazars have been attacked. "This is awful. We should go back to Pannonia and report this."

Xena spun around. "No! We need to find Csaba and Farah. I promised Ana I would. I can't disappoint her."

"Well, someone needs to go back. Ellac and Anastasia need to know about this. If our people are being attacked and driven out of their homes then we need to take all the precautions."

Gabrielle agreed. "Kreka, you can go back. I'll continue looking with Xena."

"No." She retorted and the governor frowned. "Anastasia needs you Gabrielle. You're in charge of everything that doesn't involve the battlefield. I'll stay with Xena and you go back to Pannonia."

Gabrielle sighed, knowing she was right. She looked to Xena who seemed more distraught about Csaba than anything else. She hated to leave her here while she went back to Pannonia safely, but if she had to, then she'd go back. This could be important like Kreka said.

"Alright. I'll go back but I'm taking Zolten with me in case something happens." She grabbed Xena's arm for comfort. "You'll be fine with Kreka, right?"

She nodded briefly and Gabrielle smiled and kissed her hand then quickly left the yurt. Kreka's gaze drifted to the ripped walls of the yurt and heard the commander sob softly. She didn't think she'd ever seen Xena cry or show any type of those emotions before, maybe one other time in her life, but it certainly was more taboo than normal.

The khatun approached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "We'll find him."

"But…what if we can't find him? What if he was here and he…"

"Xena, he wasn't here. This place has been abandoned for a long time. You're the best at tracking people down. I should know," she grinned and Xena blinked her wet eyes at her. "He's a smart young man. He knows danger when he sees it. I'm sure he and Farah are safe. Don't worry."

" _Xena_!" Gabrielle shouted from outside.

Xena and Kreka ran outside and searched for Gabrielle.

"Over here!" she shouted from behind the huddle of yurts. The two ran to her, thinking she was in danger but they weren't prepared for what they were about to witness. Kreka covered her mouth, immediately sick to her stomach.

Xena's eyes widened as she gaze at the desert filled with hundreds of Khazar bodies. The bodies weren't that fresh but they weren't old either. She saw a corpse of a little girl holding her mother's hand as they lay in the sand. Their veils buried beneath the sand and their faces decaying, covered in beetles and other insects, feeding off them like they were a snack.

"Barbarians," the khatun said, now the feeling of nausea had passed, she was angry that someone would do this to their people. "Whoever did this…they're…savages!"

Gabrielle turned her pale cheek up to Xena. She had never seen the commander look so distressed before. She was horrified; her eyes were unable to hide her emotions. "Who…would do this?" she asked softly.

"I don't know."

Her face darkened and she frowned the longer she stared at the fallen Khazar Hun bodies. An entire tribe was wiped out and this was the smallest of all the Hunnic tribes. Whoever did this has an agenda and that meant they were still lurking somewhere.

"Gabrielle, go back to Pannonia. Kreka and I will take over from here." She said and Gabrielle didn't want to leave. "Go!" she yelled.

The governor frowned sadly and ran back into the camp to meet up with Zolten and the others. Kreka kept shaking her head and crossed her arms.

"We need to do something. We should bury them." She suggested to Xena.

"That'll take too long. We should burn the desert. It's quicker," she said and saw the horror on Kreka's face. "It's the only way. Whoever did this is long gone by now. They won't be in this area. After we're done here we continue looking for Csaba."


	8. Chapter 8

**Your good friends the Visigoths are back ;)**

Chapter 8 – _Far From Home_

Gabrielle strolled into Pannonia with Zolten by her side and glanced around at the amount of security around the encampment. Even she had trouble getting through the gates because Zolten was with her. Trotting closer inland she observed all the Banat soldiers were gone and all that were left were Ebendzar's shaman soldiers guarding the perimeter of the Adame and of Xena's elite soldiers surrounding the woods.

She frowned and jumped off her horse, making her way up to the Adame. The soldiers uncrossed their javelins and she stepped inside. The Adame was swarmed with soldiers, servants and guards. She hadn't seen this much security in Pannonia since that stupid Onogur boy nearly burned down the entire Adame. She pushed her way through the crowd of anxious Huns and spotted Ellac talking with his brother, Dengi.

"Ellac!" she waved her hand and he looks to her and Dengi walked off in a hurry. "What is going on? Where are the Banat soldiers?"

"Ernak was stabbed while guarding the border," he explains and frowns, staring at his governor. "What are you doing here? Did you find Csaba?"

She regretfully shook her head and his frown deepened. "Xena and Kreka are in old Persia. They're still looking for him. But listen, I have something important to tell you. Where is Anastasia?"

He rolls his eyes at the mention of his wife. "She's locked herself away in the bedroom. She won't come out. I'm not sure if she's angry or sad or both. Listen Gabrielle," he wraps his arm around her and they walked through the foyer. "Since Xena isn't here I need you to scout Pannonia."

Her heart dropped to her stomach. " _Me_?" her voice squeaked a bit. "But, I can't do that."

"Gabrielle, you swore to me that when I appointed you two years ago that you would do everything I say, when I say. You've been a huge help with the massive amount of paperwork that we have but Xena isn't here and I can't rely on Anastasia. I need you to escort Xena's men to the borders. Ernak was attacked and we're sure it was not Roman work. I can't have these assassins coming into my land and threatening us."

She didn't even know how to command an elite group of soldiers. She wished that Xena would have come back with her but she did promise Ellac that she would follow his orders no matter what they were. As much as she didn't want to do this, she couldn't refuse.

"Just tell me when I need to take them and I'll do it," she said and he smiled then snapped his fingers at the lesser soldiers and ordered them to bring Xena's men their horses and be ready to leave as soon as possible. "Ellac, I really need to tell you something important."

"What is it?"

She took in a deep breath and explained quickly, "the Khazar tribe is gone. Someone came into their camp and killed all of them and left their bodies to rot. We found them in the desert between the empire and old Persia."

His eyes grew with fury and he yelled at the soldiers. "Halt!" the soldiers immediately turned around as they were about to exit. "Were there any signs of Justinian's men there?"

She shrugged. "I don't think so. I've seen Roman warfare before and this was nothing like I've seen before. Their bodies were mutilated." Much like how Xena mutilates corpses and leaves them to die in the midst of battle. "They weren't attacked by Huns. I think someone is plotting against you and plans to destroy the empire. We've lost so many people over the last five years."

"What do you suggest we do?"

She stammered and her eyes darted to the amount of soldiers inside. "Um…keep all the soldiers outside. Nobody is going to attack the Adame. Whoever did this to the Khazars is out to destroy everyone, not your family. And maybe those same people stabbed Ernak," she suggested. "I need to have a meeting with Anastasia."

"Good luck trying to get her out of her bed," he muttered.

* * *

In Thrace where the Atlyn Huns reside, chaos ensued as the entire tribe was ransacked and destroyed in less than a day by an army lead by a woman dressed in black. Yurts burned with a great fire and women were taken from their children. She watched as her army set fire to all the yurts in the tribe and the Atlyn Huns tried to save their people by attacking but they were outnumbered.

Ditron and Pirro, the youngest brothers of Xena, ran from the tribe and hid behind a huddle of trees together. They watched as their people burned in their yurts and children screamed for their mothers from afar. Ditron frowned and spotted the woman sitting on her horse ever so calmly, observing the destruction.

"Who the fuck is that witch?" he growled and wiped the blood of another man off his face.

The other brother was finally able to catch his breath. "I don't know. She's not from Pannonia that's for sure. Do you think Xena knows her?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Ditron whispered. "But she is horrible. She's destroying the entire tribe and acts like it's nothing! Look at that smug face of hers." He wanted to rip that woman apart but was held back by his brother.

"We should go to Pannonia. There is nothing here for us now. Xena might need us."

He looked to Pirro and knew it was a good idea to flee but he felt bad for leaving these people here to die at the hands of the woman in black. "I hope she can tell us what is going on."

"If she can't I'm sure Anastasia will or Gabrielle."

* * *

Anastasia wore a black veil over her hair and sat in a circle with Gabrielle, Bakkah, Leila and one of Ebnedzar's wives, Ursula. She wiped her nose and looked at the women who all seemed concerned for her. She particularly looked at Gabrielle who seemed more than nervous.

"Why am I here?" the queen asks.

Gabrielle smiles at all the women and placed a hand on Ana's knee. "I wanted to call an urgent meeting," she said and Leila briefly shared a look with Bakkah who sat next to each other. "As you know, Ernak has been attacked but there is also something else going on. The Khazar tribe is gone. Everyone is dead."

Bakkah gasped and covered her mouth. Knowing that those were her people at one point she never thought that her people would cease to exist much like Kreka's people did. She sobbed softly and buried her face in her hands.

Gabrielle hated to upset anyone and cause any unnecessary worry but she saw the anger in Ana's eyes. She was probably angry about a lot of things but this was definitely a breaking point for her. "Um, Xena and Kreka are still looking for Csaba and Farah. They will also be on the lookout for anything suspicious. So, I'd like to propose an idea if the queen allows it…" she leers over at her.

Anastasia glanced at all the women and there were so many of them missing that needed to be here. She purses her mouth and glares at the governor. "What is your proposal?"

"Well," she nervously explained, "I think we should send all the women and children to Balaam. It's very safe there and the Adame is well guarded by Navaz's army. It's not safe for anyone to be inside the Adame right now."

Leila scoffed. "As much as I love my people, I really despise my past queen, Tuya. She is not very nice and since she is technically part of my family now that means I would have to see her far too often!"

"Yes but –"

Bakkah wiped her teary eyes, "and how will I be able to travel with my son? He's too young to travel so far and it's freezing in Balaam!"

Gabrielle sighed. "I know but we have to take the necessary –"

"I don't like this idea," Leila commented again.

"Shut up!" Gabrielle shouted at everyone and the women lowered their heads. "This is a good idea and if the queen permits it then I will personally escort you all to Balaam. Tuya will be the least of your concerns, Leila," she shot her a glare. "And your son will be fine if he's bundled," she said to Bakkah. "Anastasia?"

The queen finally lifts her eyes and stared at the distraught women in front of her, including the anxious governor. "Sure. Send them to Balaam. I'm sure Navaz won't mind," she waved her hand and stood up and the others shortly followed. She slowly made her departure and Gabrielle frowned.

She ran up to Ana and gripped her hand. "Hey," she whispers and waits until the other women cleared the room. "I know you're very upset about Csaba but your mother is going to find him. But for now, we need to focus on the loss of the Khazars and Justinian."

"Right. Khazars…"

"Ana please don't be upset. I hate it when you get like this and please don't –"

The queen wept and folds her arms across her chest.

"Cry…" the governor wraps her arm around Anastasia. "I'm sure he's safe."

"Why…why would he do this to me? Why would he run away?"

"I don't know but he will be found." She reassured her. "I really need you to focus, Ana. There's a lot going on here and I am counting on you –we're all counting on you." She noticed the queen seemed incredibly unsure of herself. There was no way she could command an entire empire with an attitude like this. "What happened to the Banat soldiers? They're gone."

Tears were set aside and soon the rage kicked in. "General Balasz took the soldiers back to Banat by order of the Czar. He is incredibly upset that his daughter is missing. He also said he isn't ever going to ally with us again and the treaty he made with Attila long ago is no longer in effect anymore."

Way to go Csaba, the governor thought. "Who needs them anyway? We need to focus on this attack on Ernak and be on a tight lookout. I will take the women to Balaam. Maybe you should consider going too?"

"No! I belong here!"

"Anastasia, you are a mess. You can't think clearly. Ellac and his brothers can handle the kingdom without you. Just think about it, okay?"

* * *

The commander and khatun searched across the desert of the forgotten Sassan family and now extinct Khazar Huns. The two were unable to find any trace of Csaba and Farah. Kreka now worried that they were trekking into unfamiliar territory and that could get lost, especially since it was just the two of them and a few of Navaz's elite soldiers. Xena was more than determined to find them but perhaps too determined.

Luckily they were able to find food and water in a wooded area away from the desert but now this land was inhabited and completely barren. Kreka had no idea where they were anymore and she wasn't sure if Xena knew where they were either. It didn't look like they were going to find any villages anytime soon given the look of this wasteland. There were no crops, trees or even animals to fill this void.

She halted her steed, refusing to go any further. Wrapping her veil around her face to protect herself against the harsh sandy winds she yells out in front of her. "Xena! We need to turn back! It's too dangerous out here!"

Xena blocked the sand rushing into her mouth with her arm. "We should keep looking!"

"He wouldn't have come this way unless he is crazy!" she yells again. "We should turn back now! There's nothing here for us!"

Although she hated to admit it, Kreka was right. There was no point in looking for the missing prince and the Czarina in this foreign land. If she didn't have the khatun here or Gabrielle, she would kept onward but that was one of the reasons she brought them along; to keep her sane and in check when she was drifting off.

She turned on her horse and rode back to stand beside her companion and Balaam soldiers. She felt so lost and hadn't the slightest idea where they were. They traveled for more than two weeks and still were left with nothing. There were no horse tracks or anything that would point them in the right direction.

"What do we do now?" a question that she never asked before.

Kreka covered her mouth with the veil around her head. "We should go back to Pannonia. We need a bigger search party. We aren't covering nearly as much land by ourselves and I have no idea where we are."

Xena didn't want to see the look on her daughter's face when she had to tell her that she couldn't find Csaba or Farah. It was going to break her heart and probably enrage her. "Anastasia isn't going to like me coming back empty handed."

"There's nothing more we can do. We'll go back to the decimated Khazar camp and tell Navaz's men to go back to Balaam and we'll go home. We were not prepared for this long of a journey."

"I thought I was going to find him." Xena frowns, nearly on the verge of tears again but she pulled herself together. "Let's go before I change my mind."

* * *

Much to Gabrielle's dismay, she lead the Hun women to Balaam and the journey was taking longer than expected due to the amount of people traveling and the children as well. Anastasia decided to accompany everyone and lead the caravan of women into White Hun territory. Gabrielle followed behind her and they trekked through thick snow that was finally beginning to melt as spring emerged.

She never noticed how annoying the Hun children were until she had to travel hundreds of miles with them. Bakkah's infant son, Kurt, was very cooperative up until about the fourth day and he continued wailing and sobbing because he was cooped up in his mother's arms the entire way. Cera, on the other hand was very grumpy during the entire trip. She didn't like listening to her cousin cry for hours on end and she constantly tried to get out of the caravan and ride with her mother.

Anastasia finally relented and allowed her daughter to sit on the horse for the rest of the journey, which Gabrielle silently thanked her for. For the last few years, Gabrielle never had much contact with Ebnedzar's two wives, Ursula and Handan, but they seemed very quiet and were used to traveling long distances. She wasn't so sure that Handan's sons were accustomed to the long trip though, considering they whined just as much as Cera did. She wondered how Oran was able to put up with his siblings considering their large age difference. The boys were only a couple years older than Cera and Oran was older than Csaba.

Gabrielle thanked all the gods above when she finally saw the Adame ahead and was finally able to relax. She had no time to write Navaz about the plan and since she was here a few weeks ago, the king was definitely going to be confused when he saw a slew of women at his doorstep.

Cera cuddled the fur coat around her body and wrapped her arms around her mother's waist. "That looks like our home!" she pointed at the large Adame.

"You remember Arielle's father, right?" asks Gabrielle and the girl nods. "This is his home. I'm sure you'll like it here."

Navaz stepped outside with his wife and mother and his eyes grew at the abundance of women on his soil. He saw the forlorn look on Anastasia's face and Gabrielle rode ahead of everyone to meet with him. She jumped off her horse and ran up the stairs and bowed her head.

"Navaz," she greeted. She then smiled at Fairuza and Tuya but her presence was not welcome by the queen mother as usual. "I know this is very sudden but something happened in Pannonia. I suggested to Anastasia that the women stay here in your Adame until we find out what is happening in the empire."

He stammered and was shoved by his anxious daughter. Arielle beamed at the sight of her family in Balaam. "Mother!" she skipped down the stairs and ran to Ana and Cera. "What are you doing here? You've brought everyone! Did you bring baby Kurt?" she searched for Bakkah eagerly.

Ana hopped off her horse and lifted Cera off and set her on the ground. Cera squealed and hugged her elder sister. "We're going to stay here for awhile."

Arielle's eyes lit up. "Great!" she eyed Handan's boys and frowned. "You brought  _them_?" she was secretly grateful that she wasn't related to those boys but felt sorry that they were Cera's and Csaba's cousins. She wasn't too fond of Ebnedzar's sons as they were extreme troublemakers and liked to get into all kinds of messes. Oran was no better and she couldn't count how many times he and Csaba got in trouble together.

"Make them feel at home,  _tatli kiz_ ," Ana pats Arielle on the head and storms up the stairs of the Adame to meet with Navaz.

The naughty boys, Talat and Tolan, walked up to her with smirks on their faces. "So princess, this is your other home huh?" Talat, the eight year old and older brother of Tolan, asked. "Why don't ya show us around?"

Cera tugged on her sister's arm. "Yeah, please Arielle? I never been to Balaam before! Show us around!"

"You expect me to house all of these women and children in my home?" Navaz asked Anastasia.

"It's only temporary and this was Gabrielle's idea, not mine," she ousted the governor and he shot her a glare. "I will be staying here as well. Ellac, Ernak, Ebnedzar and Dengizich are in control of the empire during my absence."

Tuya scoffs. "My god! Look at all these women!" she glances at the Suevi Hun boys arguing with Arielle and shakes her head. "And those boys! This is ridiculous!"

Gabrielle rolled her eyes at the horrified queen mother. "Looks like you'll have to share your home, Tuya. We help our people and you are considered…part of…our people."

"You're not a Hun." She quickly made to remind her of that.

"Shut up Tuya," Ana snapped. "Don't talk to my governor that way."

Navaz rubbed his nose and sighed, looking at the boys running around Arielle, giving her a hard time. "How long is this for exactly…?" he hated to ask.

"I'm not sure," answers Ana. She saw the anger in his dark eyes. "Navaz, I don't want anything to happen to them. They are my family. I already lost Csaba. I can't lose any of them."

"Csaba? You didn't find him?"

Gabrielle wagged her head. "Not yet. Xena and Kreka are still looking for him. They haven't returned yet."

"Hopefully they will find him soon," he says and Ana sighs deeply.

Soran, Arielle's little brother, appeared from behind Fairuza's dress eating a cookie. He stared at all the children and women on the field. "Mother, who are they?" he recognized Arielle and her mother but nobody else.

Fairuza nervously smiled down at her son and gripped his shoulder. "They're your sister's family. They are going to stay with us for awhile. You should go say hello." She pushed him forward and he eyed Talat and Tolan fearfully. He never played with any other boys his age and only had sister to play with when she came around a few times a year.

He shook his head and backed up into her legs.

Ana eyed her husband's brother's sons and smirked. "Don't worry Soran, they don't bite."

Gabrielle interrupted, "I need to return to Pannonia. I will send a letter if anything changes. I wish you…the best of luck," she smiled at the nervous Hun king and trailed down the stairs to her horse.

* * *

Xena's brothers were able to grab a couple of horses and make their way to Pannonia after they knew that Atlyn territory was basically destroyed by that woman and her army. They traveled day and night until they reached Pannonia borders but they were being followed by Balmaq and Iliger, the two sons of that unknown woman.

Balmaq remembered his mother's plan to capture the Hun Queen but it needed to be done correctly. He was not one to disappoint his mother and when she didn't get what she wanted, the consequences were severe for everyone. Ditron and Pirro approached the heavily guarded gates of the kingdom and Balmaq grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him back to observe from afar in the woods.

"State your purpose," the guard said.

"We're the brothers of the commander," Ditron said and the guard lifted his eyebrow skeptically. "I'm serious."

Pirro growled. "Come on, let us through!"

Dengi pulled up the gates. "Let them through," he ordered the men and finally the two brothers were allowed passage. "Sorry, we're on tight security lately. Ernak was stabbed by an assassin."

Pirro looked at his brother. "We have some news to tell you. Where is my sister?"

"She's not here right now. She's on a mission."

" _Great_!" he grumbled. "What about Anastasia?"

"Not here either. She's in a disclosed location."

The Thracian brothers frowned. Pirro asked one last time, "…Gabrielle?"

Dengi gave him an apologetic face. "I'm not allowed to say but she'll return soon." He saw their frustration. "Is this information important? If so, you can come into the Adame with me and we'll discuss with Ellac."

Balmaq and Iliger waited in the woods until the Hun prince escorted the Thracians inland. Iliger frowned at his elder brother. "This place is heavily guarded, brother. We will never get inside the borders of Pannonia."

"We will find another way in. We cannot go back to mother without the queen."

"She will skin our hides," Iliger says non-jokingly.

* * *

Ellac ran his fingers through his short beard. "A woman you said?" he asked Ditron.

"Yes. She had long black hair and pale skin with dark eyes. We thought she was from Pannonia or some other tribe but she attacked us!" he explained and slammed his fist on the table. "She wiped out the entire Atlyn tribe in just a few hours."

Pirro chimed in, "she had an army of hundreds! They came in like hell beasts! She sat on her horse and watched the entire tribe burn to the ground."

Ellac nodded and lifted his hand, hearing enough. "This woman must be responsible for the Khazar desecration."

An injured Ernak leaned against a chair beside his elder brothers. "Sounds like another Xena."

"That's my sister you're talking about."

"You obviously don't know your sister very well," he chuckled and Dengi smacked his head.

"Be quiet, Ernak. Xena never killed our people. She was always after Romans."

Pirro nodded. "My sister would never do what that woman did to people. Her men slaughtered women and children right before our eyes. Who is she?"

"Who is who?" Xena walked in looking disheveled with Kreka by her side. All the men turned their heads and stared at her dirty face and wild long hair. "What are you two doing here?" she was shocked to see her littlest brothers here.

Ellac pushed through his brothers. "Where is Csaba?"

"We couldn't find him." She thumbed behind her. "What is with the security? I almost drove my sword through one of your men because they didn't let me in."

Ernak waved his hand. "I got stabbed by some assassins."

Kreka gasped. " _What_?" she ran over to her son and inspected him. He groaned and tried to push her away, feeling much like a child again. "Who did this?"

"We're trying to figure that out mother," Dengi assured her. "But we might have a good idea who it is," he walked over to Xena's brothers. "Did her men look like us? Did they have a flag?"

Ditron shook his head. "No flag and yes she bares resemblance to the Hun people but she's definitely not one of you."

"Who the hell are you talking about?" Xena demanded answers. "And where is Gabrielle?"

"She took all the women and children to Balaam. She will be returning soon," Ellac explains. "As for the mystery woman, I have no idea who she is. She obliterated the Atlyn tribe."

Xena ran her hand across her face. "And she did the same to the Khazars," she mutters. "What did she look like?"

Ellac tells her, "long black hair, fair skin, dark eyes."

She raises her eyebrow. "You just described every Hun woman in this damn empire, Ellac!"

Pirro ran to his sister and gripped her shoulder. "She wore black robes and armor. Her entire army wears black clothes and veils to hide their faces. She's horrible, Xena. You must stop her. She will come here next."

"If she's stupid she will."

"She's going to destroy every single one of our tribes," the king noted. "Who is this woman? Tomiri is dead and my father killed the Vandal Queen Arykan so long ago. I don't know any other possible women that rule an entire army. Is she Gokturk?" he asked Xena's brothers.

Pirro and Ditron shared a confused look and Ellac knew that they had no idea what he was talking about so that was off the table.

Xena folded her arms and creased her eyebrows. "Navaz did mention that the Gokturks relocated."

"Do the Gokturks even have a queen?" Kreka scoffed at the idea of those mountain people ever rummaging up enough men to attack the Huns in such a short amount of time. "We don't even know if this woman is a queen or not anyway."

"Whoever she is she's dead once I get my hands on her," Xena promised.

* * *

King Theodoric of the Visigoths waited long for Emperor Justinian's letter to arrive. Due to the lax delivery system he got the letter much too late and apparently was to expect a guest in his land. Nearly five years ago he tried to invade Attila's homeland but was set back due to Xena and the Hun army. He would have thought woman would've died by now considering the life she lived and the amount of enemies she made.

He was alerted by one of his men to step outside his tent and he smiled at the woman arriving on his soil. She came in with her large army all in black and halted her horse before the Visigoth blonde king. She seemed unimpressed by the Goth people so far. They were all so fair and she had never been to a land filled with blondes and redheads before. This was far too north for her to travel to but she made a promise and she had orders as well.

"Visigoth king," she addressed him and he bowed his head. "I see you received Justinian's message, yes?"

He nodded. "Yes but I'm afraid it came late so I was unaware of your arrival until three days ago. I hear that you have invaded Hun territory."

She snubbed him and took a good look around at the tents and large city of buildings surrounding her. "I need a place to house my army."

"There is a large field behind the city that you are more than welcome to use." He eyed the woman and she was quite striking. He almost expected a man to show up but was more than surprised that Justinian sent a woman instead. She also looked much like the many Hun women he had seen over the last thirty years.

"Forgive me," he begins and she bats her big brown eyes. "I have never seen you before during my Hun raids in the past."

"I am not a Hun, Goth king." She tells him with a sour taste in her mouth. She didn't want to be compared to those barbarians. She waved her hand at her youngest son who was a mere teenager. "Kutilzis take the men to that field."

The dark haired teenager bows his head. "Yes mother."

Theodoric watched the young boy follow his mother's orders with such ease and pride. He was quickly reminded of Attila's sons but none of his sons were quite as responsive and quiet like this boy was. "You have a very attentive son."

She smirked and dismounted her horse. "Look Goth king, let's get this out in the open. I don't like your kind. Justinian asked me to come here and discuss Hun invasions with you. That is all." She handed her horse off to one of her soldiers. "And don't  _ever_  compare me to a Hun again."

He was not accustomed to being talked down to by anyone, especially a woman. It was hard for him to hold his tongue but he did not wish to anger her. She looked very much like the Hun people but it was clear that she was not one of those savages. Her aura was calm yet dangerous. Certainly not like Xena –no, Xena was wild and sliced through anyone she laid her eyes on. This woman was different. She was more composed but something told the Goth that he didn't want to make her angry.

"May I remind you that you are speaking to royalty."

She snickered. "Don't get cocky, Goth king. I, too, am royalty. Shall we enter your tent or will we discuss out here with the goats and pigs?" she raised her eyebrow, challenging the blonde king.

Perhaps he was all wrong about her. She did know what she was talking about but he was still a bit intimidated by her presence. He gave a false smile to the mysterious woman. "After you," he gestured for her to enter the tent.

* * *

Gabrielle arrived safely back to Pannonia and when she saw Xena's horse posted outside the yurt she immediately ran inside, anxious to see her after a month being a part from each other. Entering the yurt she found Xena sitting on the floor drinking wine in mid-afternoon and looked rather haggard.

"Xena," she says and the commander's face brightens. She sat down beside her and pecked her lips. "Did you find Csaba and Farah?"

The brunette frowned and Gabrielle knew that look too well. It wasn't an angry frown but a sad one.

"We'll find him, don't worry. I took all the women and children to Balaam. Ana is there with them," she mentions and her partner simply nods in silence. "She was so upset, Xena. She's been locked in her room ever since we left, Ellac said."

"It's hard to focus when your child is missing." She finished off the wine and pinched Gabrielle's chin and smiled warmly at her. "It might do her some good to be away from Pannonia for awhile."

Gabrielle definitely agreed but she didn't know how that was going to go considering Ana was stuck with Tuya and all of the royal children in one space for god knows how long.

"I'm glad you're here. We have things to discuss. There's a woman who is probably responsible for the Khazar inhalation and stabbing Ernak."

"Wow, straight to business huh?" she teased and Xena pursed her lips. "I missed you!"

Xena grinned. "I missed you too," she kissed her forehead. "She also destroyed the Atlyn tribe," she continued and Gabrielle sighed. "My brothers are here and warned Ellac about her. I think we should track her and maybe we can stop her before she attacks anyone else. What do you think?" her eyes widened and stared intensely at the governor.

"I think you need to take a breather." She giggled and ran her fingers through the commander's long hair. "But I can see you're focused so…who is this woman?"

"I have no idea. Apparently she looks like every Hun woman so my brothers say."

"But she's not a Hun?"

"No, she's not. At least, I don't think she is." She poured another glass of wine and drummed her finger son the cup. "Everyone I know that could be her is dead. Tomiri fits the description but she's dead because I killed her."

"You certainly did…" Gabrielle saw the image of the Scythian Queen's decapitated dead burned into her brain. She could never un-see that. "She's obviously from the east somewhere. She might be Persian."

Xena snickers at that thought. "Doubt it. Persians would never allow a woman to be in charge. She's not Persian."

"Magyar?"

"Possibly."

"But Tomiri killed Arpad so that's probably a no," Gabrielle rubbed her chin trying to think of anyone else. "Vandal?"

"That's west of us, Gabrielle. We would have seen her if she attacked the Khazar. You have to come through our territory to get to the Khazar land."

"Well, how is she able to slide through us and attack the Atlyn Huns then? She's very slick, Xena. She destroyed two large tribes in a short amount of time. She sounds very dangerous."

Xena wanted danger. She liked dangerous. "I know and I can't wait to meet her," she smiles mischievously and sips the wine. She caught the governor giving her the evil eye. "So I can kill her of course…" she averted her gaze. "And maybe I could learn a few things from her."

"Xena, no."

"Why not? She is a great strategist! I've never seen anyone knock out two tribes in less than two months, Gabrielle! She is incredible!"

"I love you but you sound crazy."

Xena smiles smugly and pinches the blonde's cheek. "Wouldn't be the first time I've heard that from you." She set down the wine glass and drummed her fingers on her knees. "I could capture her and interrogate her. She could be a great asset to us against our enemies. I must meet her."

Gabrielle groaned and lay down on the rug, staring at the ceiling. "Something tells me that she isn't exactly very friendly with the Huns."

"I don't need her to be friendly!" Xena leaned over and veiled her consort's face with her hair. "Is that a no?"

"I'm not going to stop you," she shrugs her shoulders. "I learned to stop doing that a long time ago."

Xena smiled excitedly and kissed her generously. "You're the best."

"I know," Gabrielle says nonchalantly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Blood, guts, you know the drill ;) more X/G action here working together as a team. There's a lot going on this chapter.**

Chapter 9

"Welcome back to the field, governor," Xena says to her partner. She trots along the borders of Pannonia and Dalmatia with her elite soldiers. Gabrielle didn't want to be here, she'd rather be back at the Adame but Ellac ordered her to go with Xena.

The two stopped at the same spot where Ernak was stabbed. Xena waves her hand at the soldiers and they immediately came to her side, waiting on the order. "Search the area. Look for tracks and possible foul play," she says and they spread out along the border on foot. She put on her black leather gloves and adjusted the coin headpiece on her head.

Gabrielle spotted Odoacer smiling from below at the conquered Dalmatia territory. He left his post and began riding towards them.

"Damn," the commander grumbled. It took every ounce of her not to whip her sword out and strike the Roman Emperor in the heart. She put on a big fake smile as he approached her and Gabrielle.

"Don't tell him anything," whispers the governor. "Don't tell him about Ernak or the woman either. He probably knows nothing."

"I know what I'm doing, Gabrielle."

Odoacer stopped a few feet in front of the two and Gabrielle put on a smile as well. "Ah, my two favorite ladies," he greeted and Xena's upper lip quivered while she tried to keep the smile plastered on her face. "What brings you to the border?" he was careful not step over the line that led into Pannonia.

"Just making sure you know your boundaries, Odoacer," Gabrielle answers. "What are you planning to do with the Dalmatian citizens?"

The civilians were rounded up by a group of Romans. Most were shoved, some were not. Some were tied by their wrists while others roamed freely. Xena eyed the Dalmatians and raised her eyebrow. She still hadn't the slightest idea why Odoacer wanted land so close to Pannonia and why he wanted an alliance.

He snickered and rubbed his cleanly shaven chin. He noticed that Xena was being very calm and that was an unusual sight to see, considering their relationship hadn't been the best over the years. "Well, they will be living under Roman rule of course. Be rid of their deities and idolatry worshipping. Perhaps your people should worship the one God instead of the multiple gods in…whatever religion you Huns have."

"I worship no deities, Odoacer." Xena glared at the emperor and he laughs nervously at her curt response.

"Of course. That must be beneath you," he bows his head in a disrespectful manner. "Don't you have a festival for one of your gods coming up?" he pried.

Gabrielle couldn't figure out what his game was and why he was trying so hard to be kind to them. "Why do you care, Odoacer?"

"I am simply trying to get to know my allies better. Also, you may have forgotten but I used to be a Hun."

"Once a Hun always a Hun," Xena tells him with a smirk. "A laurel crown doesn't change who you really are –a traitor."

He wagged his finger at her. "I think I liked you better when you sliced people in half for talking back to you."

She unsheathed her sword and pointed it at his chest. His eyes grew in fear and Gabrielle was about to step in and stop her. "I am very capable of doing that if you wish it…" a devious smile crossed her face and he chuckled then stepped backward on the horse. "Do you want that, emperor?"

Gabrielle grabbed her wrist firmly. "We're not here to start unnecessary fights." She quickly reminded her and Xena groaned then sheathed her blade. She focused her attention on the untrustworthy Roman. "Odoacer, since you're our ally, it is your duty to tell us if Justinian has planned any attacks on us."

He brushed his hand down his armor and cleared his throat, still leery of the willful commander. "Yes Gabrielle. We used to be such good friends, huh? You were a great Consul. I wish you could join me in my chambers and be my adviser again. Wouldn't you like that?"

"I'm the governor of the Huns now. I would never be your Consul again. You tried to kill the queen and the princes."

He sighs, feigning knowledge of the occurrence that happened so long ago. "Yes, well, we must put that behind us, isn't that right?" he winked at her and Xena snarled. "As for my opponent, I have no news for you. He has been very clandestine as of late. I suspect he is too busy organizing a coup to take over the entirety of North Africa to be bothered with you people."

Xena immediately thought of Queen Kahina in the Maghreb. Her land was about to be taken over by Byzantines and there was nothing she could do from here to help her. Despite their rocky start, the Maghrebi woman was very nice after she got to know Xena and Gabrielle.

"Anyway, I must be going. I must instruct my men to round up the Dalmatian rebels. Good day, ladies." He bowed his head and trotted down the hill.

Gabrielle shook her head in disgust at the man. She couldn't believe that they were able to have a somewhat decent conversation with him. "Do you think he's telling the truth?" she asked Xena.

"He's given us several reasons not to trust him but I believe him when he says he doesn't know anything about Justinian's plans for us." She nods and watches the emperor whip a Dalmatian. "What a goat," she paraphrased Kreka's infamous insult.

"Commander!" one of the soldiers ran over to her and she focused on him instead of Odoacer. "We were unable to find any tracks. There are no weapons left behind either. The prince said that many of the soldiers were slit at the throat but no blood was found in the grass either."

Gabrielle frowned, not liking the sound of this at all. Xena nods and he ran back over to his horse.

"Oh she's good." Xena remarks and Gabrielle glares at her. "She's  _real_  good. Now I definitely gotta meet her."

"We don't know if she sent men to harm Ernak, Xena."

The commander cackles and eyes her blonde cohort. "Of course she did! Isn't it obvious? She wants our attention and she's got it. She needs to reel us in somehow but I don't know what she has planned next."

"We also don't know where she is. She could be anywhere."

Xena wagged her finger and looked at the Dalmatians again. "No, she's close. She's in plain sight. We're not looking in the right places."

Gabrielle cocked her head. "And what  _are_  the right places?"

"One step at a time, governor." She teases her. "We should scout outside the borders and see if we can find anything."

"Xena, Ellac said not to go outside the border."

"What does he know?"

"Xena! We have orders! You're supposed to listen to me anyway. I'm your boss," she grins arrogantly and the commander rolled her eyes. "He said nobody leaves Pannonia unless given special permission."

Xena's lips turned into a mischievous smile. "And… _you_  would have to give that permission, right?"

She really set herself up for that one. Gabrielle shook her head several times and folded her arms. "No." she eyed the commander giving her a pouty look. "No!"

"How else are we supposed to find this woman? We can't sit here and do nothing!"

"I can send Ebnedzar's men to scout outside but we're staying."

"But I'm more qualified than any of those shaman goons."

Gabrielle frowned and yanked on her reins and trotted up the hill. "We're not going."

"Gabrielle!" she yells and trails after her. "Gabrielle,  _güzel hanim_ …" she says sweetly.

"Your sweet talk isn't going to work, Xena. Not this time." She didn't dare look into those seductive eyes of hers. It was tempting but every time she did, Xena always got her way and this was too much of a risk to allow Xena to have her way. "Stop looking at me with those eyes of yours."

The commander grunted and trotted ahead of her. "Fine. Have it your way."

"It is  _my_  way!" she yells as Xena rides quickly back to the Adame.

* * *

King Theodoric gawked at his supposed ally as she spoke about the Hun tribes she defeated. She also mentioned the task that was given to her by Justinian. He was not one to ally with Romans as he didn't trust them but he didn't ally with the Huns either. It looked like this woman also disliked Romans but he couldn't figure out what her game was and why she was here. He didn't know how she came to pass with Justinian anyway and why did she look so much like the Hun women he'd seen all his life?

She paused in mid-conversation and whacked the quill pen on the table, alarming him. "Is there a problem, Goth king?" she asks.

He sat up in the chair and looked into her dark looming eyes. "No, no. Please continue."

"I will need a map of all the Hun tribes. I realize that we are a bit more north. If there are any tribes not far from here I would like to know where they are."

He listened to her and rubbed his blonde beard, admiring her beauty. She was not the most gorgeous woman he'd seen but she was striking and her authoritative attitude made her more attractive. She bore similar resemblance to Kreka Khatun but he always remembered the widowed wife of Attila to be very beautiful. Her hazel eyes were very cold but her features were hard yet soft at times.

This woman was not as beautiful as the khatun and she was a bit younger than her, but not by much. Omitting the square jaw that Kreka had, this woman had a softer jaw line and long thin nose that dipped at the tip. Her eyes were almost as dark as her black straight hair that stopped just at her waistline. If he was not mistaken, this woman reminded him of a much calmer Xena. He really disliked Xena and when he had to work with her long ago to rescue her daughter from the Vandals, it was perhaps the only time he liked her.

Now, he had no idea what the commander looked like. Surely she remained much the same with her bloodlust for Romans or anyone that came near her.

"Are you listening to me, Goth king? I don't have time for your roaming mind and wandering eyes!" she spit in his face and leaned over the table.

He pushed the chair back and stood up, challenging her intimidating stare. "I know where all the Hun tribes are but you already have destroyed the Atlyn and Khazar. What is next on the agenda? Akitziri? The Onogur are gone as well."

She smiles. "Akitziri? Where is this tribe? I have yet to come across it."

"It is near the Caspian Sea. About a day's ride from Pannonia."

She frowns at that and taps the pen on the table. "I do not want to go near Pannonia at this time. Akitziri will have to wait. What other tribes are there?"

"Well," he smiles and points at the Caucasus region. "There are the White Huns in the mountains. They are not too far from here." He saw her intrigue but then covered the map with his hand and she furrows her eyebrows. "I do not even know your name and yet you expect me to conduct business with you. I am wary of allying with Romans and with people I do not know."

"Very well." She grins and stands up straight. "Queen Boareks of the Sabir people."

His eyes widen. "Sabir? I am not familiar with your people."

"We are from Siberia. My people are scattered across Asia and we are making our way into the Steppes and Balkans."

Theodoric nods bemusedly. "And how does that involve Justinian?"

"That is confidential information that you will need to discuss with the emperor himself. Now, show me the location of these White Huns."

* * *

Much to Xena's disappointment she was put on the night shift which she hated. She waited at the gates, looking outward to see if there were any intruders coming in. Gabrielle later joined her after she had an important meeting with Ellac. A week and nothing happened. Xena was beginning to think all of this security was for nothing.

The governor sat beside her and Xena kept her eyes on the black grassy plains beyond the gates. "Find anything?"

"This is the most boring job I've ever had," she says in a flat tone.

"Ellac wants to make sure that the borders are secure, Xena. Besides, it's not that bad. I'll be here with you."

"This job is beneath me. I am the commander, not a lookout."

Gabrielle sighs. "We don't want a potential invasion again. He's just very cautious especially after the Adame was nearly burned down. We lost Giselle that night. I think I did the right thing sending the women and children to Balaam. I know they will be safe there."

Xena slowly breathed out. "I'm going to die of boredom. She's not going to show her face, Gabrielle, especially with this amount of security. We should tell Ellac to disarm the gates and lessen the security."

"That's a stupid idea."

"It is not!" she spun around on her horse and Gabrielle raised her eyebrow. "It's not."

Balmaq and Iliger crouched down behind a large amount of brush with a few of their mother's soldiers at their disposal. Balmaq waved his hand as he kept his eyes on the commander keeping her post. He waited for days to see if she would leave but she didn't. She camped out at the gates which made this very difficult for him and his brother. If he didn't get the Hun queen then his mother would surely whip him or do something far worse.

"Do it," he whispers to his younger brother.

Iliger crawled across the grass on his belly with the other soldiers. He eyeballed the tents lined up along the gates and lit a bottle filled with explosive powder and threw it over the gate near the oblivious guards.

A loud explosion alerted all of the Hun soldiers and Xena turned to see the tents lit up with a great fire. Some of the soldiers inside the tents ran out, engulfed in flames and screaming as their flesh melted off their arms and faces. She and Gabrielle rode over to the fire as did the guards standing by the gates.

Balmaq smiled and his mother's soldiers threw more bombs into the borders of Pannonia. Iliger clenched his fist and watched in awe as the Huns panicked and tried to put out the fire with buckets of water from the wells. He hissed at his mother's men to make a run for it so they wouldn't be caught. He returned to his brother with a devious look upon his face.

"Let's go." Balmaq instructed and the two ran out from behind the brush into the woods of Pannonia and two soldiers ran after them as soon as the fire lit up their shadows. Balmaq grabbed one of the Huns and slit his throat and covered his mouth, dragging the man into the woods.

Iliger broke the other Hun's neck and grabbed him by his boots and dragged him into the woods as well. He and his brother looted the soldiers and took their furs and armor and draped it over their other armor to disguise themselves to look like true Huns.

"What now, brother?" Iliger asks.

"We go to the Adame. We alert the king about the fire near the gates. Then we look for the queen." He says and they walked out of the woods casually as Hun soldiers ran by them, going completely unnoticed.

Xena growled and yelled at the scurrying men. "More water!" she turned and saw the gate was unguarded and pointed at the two young recruits that barely knew how to do anything except gawk at the flaming tents. "Go guard the gates!" she yells and the boys ran off with their weapons and did as they were told.

She glared at the governor. "Still think that I shouldn't go outside the gates?" she hissed.

"We aren't allowed."

Xena had enough of these rules. She kicked her horse and whistled for her elite men to follow her. The pushed through the gates with great force and rode into the dark, kicking up debris and sand behind her.

"Xena!" Gabrielle growled. "Dammit!"

* * *

The Sabir brothers waltzed into the Adame and immediately saw King Ellac speaking with his two brothers. Balmaq noticed the bandages wrapped around Ernak's torso and smirked at his brother. They approached the king and bowed their heads. Ellac turned at the two men and frowned, ceasing conversation.

"Your highness, there has been an attack at the border," Iliger said and lifted his eyes.

"An attack? Did you see who did it?" he asks and the brothers shake their heads. He growled and grabbed Dengi's arm. "Go aid the men at the gates. Take Ebnedzar with you. Nobody leaves the encampment!" he yells as Dengi is exiting the palace.

Balmaq and Iliger linger over to Kreka Khatun entering the foyer. They kept their gaze low and she didn't even acknowledge their existence. Ernak and Ellac quickly left to discuss further in the king's chambers and Kreka walked over to a soldier.

"I want the royal guards to be posted by Ellac's room at all hours of the day. This goes for Dengizich's room and Ernak's as well. I do not want any intruders coming in this Adame. Do I make myself clear?" she tells the young soldiers.

They bow their heads. "Yes, my queen. It will be done. Shall we post guards at your quarters as well?"

She nods and they ran off to tell the royal guards outside to leave their posts and come inside. The Sabir men smile at the khatun and she turned to walk down the hallway by herself to head back to her bedroom. They looked around to see if anyone was watching them but the entire place was chaos at this point. They waited but a few moments and followed her down the empty hall at a fair distance.

Kreka rounded a corner and frowned, sensing someone following behind her. Instead of going to her room she turned a different corner and casually withdrew the dagger at her belt and peeked out of her peripheral vision and spotted two large shadows following her.

She kept walking as if she wasn't aware and rounded another corner and then turned around. The brothers halted and she held a dagger to them. "Why are you following me?"

"We want to make sure you get to your room safely, your highness," Balmaq says in his most sincere voice.

She didn't let up and her eyes briefly glanced at a tattoo on both of the men's arms. They seemed unfazed and she smiled. "If you were escorting me to my room then surely you would know that my room is two halls back that way."

The brothers' faces changed and Iliger whipped out a blade and whacked the dagger out of her hand. She frowned and ran down the hall. They ran after her and Balmaq picked up the dagger off the floor while chasing the khatun.

Kreka skids to a halt when she sees she's at a dead end of the Adame and curses to herself. She looks to the window and jumps up, holding onto the ledge. Pulling herself up Iliger smiles with glee and sliced her calf. She hissed and lost her grip with one hand and he slit the bottom half off her dress and ripped it in half. She tried to climb the insanely high wall but her boots slid down the wooden wall due to little traction.

Balmaq grabbed her leg and yanked her off the ledge and threw her into the wall. She threw her head back and examined her bleeding leg and torn pants and nonexistent bottom half of her dress. He leaned down and socked her in the jaw and she slid down the wall, unconscious.

"She's a mad woman," he notes and Iliger nods and sheaths his sword. He grabs the queen mother and threw her over his broad shoulder with ease. Her arms dangled by her ears and the pins in her veil and hair dropped to the floor. "We need to leave through the woods again. You hid the horses, right?"

"Of course. I am not an idiot, brother."

"We can't be careless. These Hun women are insane. That commander was watching the gates like a hawk."

* * *

Gabrielle waited for Xena to come back and until then she looked after the young recruits putting out the fires. Dengi hopped off his horse as soon as he reached the gates with Ebnedzar. He breathed heavily and ran over to her. He saw that the fires had been put out and Xena was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Xena?"

She impatiently tapped her fingers on the saddle. "She went through the gates."

"She what?!" he ran over and saw the gates broken in half. "God dammit Xena!" he kicked the rod iron gate. "What happened here?"

"Someone threw a bomb and the tents caught fire." She explains and eyes the prince. "How did you know to come out here?"

"Two soldiers came and told us what happened."

She whipped her head around and scanned the outer rim of the border beyond Pannonia. "I didn't send anyone to tell you about the fires."

"Well, two men did. It must have been elite soldiers. Probably Xena's men wanted to alert Ellac about the fires."

Gabrielle cocked her eyebrow and thought that was very odd. "Xena's men left with her. The only soldiers at the gates are the recruits. Who were the men?"

"Hun soldiers? What does it matter?" he scoffed and folded his arms.

"Because I didn't send anyone to the Adame!"

Ebnedzar clicked his tongue against his cheek and paddled his horse with his boot. "I'm going back. Don't let anyone else out those gates and make sure Xena comes back in one piece."

"If anyone is going to come back in pieces it'll be those intruders," she mumbled. "The fire is under control. You should go back Dengi."

He shook his head and mounted his horse. "No. I have orders from my brother to stay here at the gates. Ebnedzar obviously doesn't want to follow orders and neither does Xena!" he snarls. As much as he admired Xena and her commanding skills, she could really piss everyone off due to her lack of respect to follow orders. He remembered the few times that she and his father got into arguments because of her overzealousness.

"Don't worry. When she gets back she's going to get a lecture."

"From my brother I hope."

"No, from  _me_!"

* * *

So far Anastasia had been stuck here in Balaam for a little more than a week and she was going stir crazy. She didn't have anything to do here except sit around inside the women's quarters, which was considerably smaller than the one back in Pannonia. She also couldn't get her mind off of Csaba but tried to hide her sadness from her daughters when she was in their presence.

Today was exceptionally boring and she never felt so useless in her life until now. She imagined her life would have been very different if she didn't get with Ellac in the end. She would have been married off to someone else and would have never been queen.

What made this entire experience in Balaam even more awkward was that she once was queen to these people and now she wasn't. She didn't have any animosity towards Fairuza but their conversations in passing were always short and sweet. Fairuza must have felt like second best next to her, Ana saw that, but she hoped to tell the Persian queen that she had no reason to feel that way because she was the queen here and Ana was not.

Her eyes traveled over to Tuya who sat on the floor, combing through Arielle's hair. She frowned at the queen mother and although they never got along from the beginning, their relationship did soften over the years but not by much.

As expected, Ursula and Handan, the wives of Ebnedzar, were very quiet and kept to themselves. She wondered how those two got along so well considering they were far apart in age. Ursula had to be Xena's age and Handan was younger than Anastasia. She couldn't fathom living with another wife if Ellac ever did choose to marry someone else. But that wouldn't happen because she just wouldn't allow it.

Cera, being the youngest in Pannonia, she had nobody her age to play with and she got on Arielle's nerves from time to time. Anastasia watched her daughter play with Soran in the center of the room. Handan's sons were on their best behavior since they nearly got smacked in the face by Tuya they were too scared to go near her or cause any mischief.

The boys reminded her of Kriemhild's twin boys because of how close they were in age. Only a year apart and they looked so similar to each other with their long dark wavy hair and fair complexion. She wondered what those boys would have looked like if Kriemhild didn't slaughter them in their sleep. She also wondered how long it would have been before Kreka killed her before the younger queen went insane.

Fairuza made her way over to a very lonely Anastasia sitting in a corner of the room. She smiled and held a tray of tea and fruits. "May I sit with you?" she asks nicely and Ana waves her hand to the empty pillow. The redheaded queen sat down and set the tray in the middle of them.

"Leila helped me make the tea. She said you like mint." She handed her the tea and Ana frowned but took the saucer with caution.

" _Leila_  made this?" Ana sniffs the tea, not trusting Dengi's wife with anything when it came to food or drink.

Fairuza frowned confusedly. "Yes? You don't like the mint?"

Ana took a sip and thought it was safe to drink. "No, I like it. Thank you."

"Leila is very sweet. She has been avoiding Tuya ever since she got here."

"Aren't we all?" Ana mutters and sipped the tea once more.

Fairuza awkwardly sat with the former wife of her current husband and crossed her legs. "Bakkah is in Arielle's room with her son. He's an adorable baby. I'm sure he will grow up to be very handsome like all of the princes."

At the mention of princes, Anastasia's mind was stuck on Csaba again and she set the saucer of tea on the floor. The redhead queen bit her bottom lip and her eyes lower. She stirred the tea with a spoon and Anastasia sighed heavily, adjusting her black veil.

"I'm sorry to hear about Csaba. I heard he was missing."

"He's not  _missing_. He ran away," she says angrily and Fairuza looked away, casually sipping the tea. "I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you."

"It's okay," Fairuza grins. "I'm sure he'll come back."

Navaz entered the women's room as soon as he let in by one of the female servants and he smiled at everyone. Talat and Tolan lifted their eyes up at the king as he walked by and he frowned at the boys. They pursed their lips and continued braiding each other's hair.

He halted at his wife and Anastasia. He looked at the women awkwardly and directs his attention to his former wife and queen. "I need to talk to you."

Anastasia stood up and unveiled her hair. Fairuza looked up at the two and he grabbed Ana's hand and led her away to a quieter spot inside the room. "What is it, Navaz?"

"I got word from Bey Malka that his tribe is being attacked."

"Attacked? Is it the same people who attacked the Khazars?"

He shook his head. "No. It's the imperial army of China. They share a border with China and they've been invaded."

She folded her arms and creased her eyebrows together. "Why China? Why would they attack the Nezak Huns?"

"I don't know but he said he was able to push the imperial army back and they retreated back into Chinese territory."

"Okay…what do you want me to do about it? Why are you telling me this?"

He was taken aback by that question. "Because you're the Hun Queen, Anastasia. You run this empire. You have a right to know."

"Well it's not like I can tell Ellac, now can I?" she spits and he blinked. "Sorry. I'm just very…frustrated right now."

He smiles and grips her shoulder. "You never liked to stay in one place for a long time. I can send a message by falcon to Pannonia. It's not safe for anyone to travel."

She nods. "Alright, you do that. I'll be  _here_." She sighs and he cups her cheek then quickly exits the room.

* * *

"You disobeyed my orders again Xena!" Gabrielle chastised the commander inside their yurt. Xena toys with the tassels on the rug and Gabrielle continued to pace around. "You didn't find anything did you?"

"No…"

"All the more reason why you should have done what you were told and stay inside the border!"

"Okay Gabrielle, I got it."

"Do you?"

Xena lifted her eyes and scowled. "Yes!"

The governor sat down opposite her partner and looked into her guilty blue eyes. "Next time follow my orders." She tells her and Xena curtly nods. "Do you think that woman is the one who attacked us?"

"Of course it is. Her strategy is strange. She hasn't killed anyone yet. She keeps scaring us with her tactics."

Gabrielle had to agree with that. "And it's working. Why is she doing this?"

"To scare us obviously."

A soldier burst into the yurt and the two looked at his frantic eyes. "The king requests you both at the Adame immediately!"

They share a worried look with each other and quickly grabbed their weapons on their way out.

* * *

Ernak held his mother's ripped dress and hair pins in his hands and bowed his head. He held the fabric up to his nose to gather her scent and took in a deep breath. Dengi looked at his little brother and touched his shoulder.

"Don't touch me," Ernak says barely above a whisper. He clutched the fabric to his chest and grips the hair pins tightly in his palms.

Xena and Gabrielle rush into the foyer and saw a large piece of Kreka's dress in Ernak's arms and Dengi trying to comfort him. Ellac stood off to the side watching his brothers while biting his fingernails nervously.

"What happened?" Gabrielle was almost afraid to ask.

Dengi turned with malice in his brown eyes. "Someone kidnapped my mother. She obviously put up a fight," gesturing to the ripped dress and lost hair pins. "How could this happen? We have Pannonia tightly guarded! They took her from our home right in front of our eyes!"

Gabrielle tapped her cheek and thought back to a few hours earlier. "Those men," she snapped her fingers and all of the sons of Attila gaped at her. "Two men came in here and told you about the fire," she pointed to Ellac. "I never sent anyone to alert you about the fire. They must be the ones who took Kreka."

"But they looked like Huns," Dengi said.

"Looks can be deceiving," remarks Xena. "They're responsible for the fire and most likely Kreka's kidnapping."

Ernak marched over to her and Gabrielle and waved his mother's ripped dress in their faces. "I want you to find them! I want them dead! Decapitated! If they harm her they will wish that they were never born, I promise you that!" he threw the dress on the ground and Gabrielle's eyes widened at the prince's rage. "You find her, Xena!"

She leaned back as he got closer in her face. Dengi pulled him away and he pushed him away and stormed off. As if she didn't have enough to worry about with Csaba and Farah missing, now Kreka too. She rubbed her forehead and looked at Gabrielle's pale face.

Gabrielle looked at Ellac and Dengi. "What do you want us to do?"

Without hesitation Xena interjects, "we're going to find her. She may be a pain in my ass but she's still part of my family." That brought a satisfied smile on Dengi's face. "Attila was my friend and he wouldn't want me to stand by and do nothing."

Gabrielle rubs her arm gently and Xena peered down at her with a determined gleam in her eyes.

Dengi hugged her tightly. "Thank you. It would mean so much to me if you two went after her."

"We'll find her," Gabrielle assures him.

"That's what you said about Csaba." Ellac rudely interrupts and Xena apologetically looks at him.

"He is a very good traveler. He obviously knew how to lose us, Ellac. This isn't Xena's fault. You want someone to blame? Look somewhere else," the governor spoke to the king in a harsh voice and he was surprised by that but did not have the strength to combat her.

She hastily adds, "So, where do we start?" she eyed the commander.

* * *

Riding for weeks, Csaba and Farah finally reached Asia after they briefly stopped in Kazakhstan. Csaba worried that the Nezaks would discover their whereabouts but he was surprised to find that the Nezak Huns deserted their tribe in a hurry. They didn't even pack up their belongings which struck odd in his mind.

He also was glad that they gathered enough food and water for their journey. Truthfully, he had no idea what he was going to do when he reached Asia but he was soon about to find out when they reached the Great Wall and Chinese soldiers shouted at them. Farah nervously looked at the arrows pointed at them and Csaba steered the horse to the left and right several times so he could scan the amount of bowmen above in the towers.

"Huna!" an imperial Chinese soldier shouted.

Farah gasped and held on tightly to Csaba's waist. "They're going to kill us!"

"No…wait," he whispers calmly. He put up his hands to show that he meant no harm and he didn't have any weapons either. "We are here on a peaceful journey!" he shouts to the soldiers. They pulled their bows tautly ready to shoot at any moment. "I am unarmed!"

"Are you Nezak?!" the soldier yelled from above.

Csaba frowned. "No! Pannonian!"

The soldier eyes him and the girl with extreme caution and he tells the others to lower their weapons. Csaba smiled at Farah over his shoulder and then the large doors along the Wall opened slowly. Farah felt like she was going to vomit from that little altercation. She didn't plan on dying anytime soon and was lucky that the Chinese didn't shoot them.

He gripped her hand firmly. "Are you alright?"

"Y…es," she says weakly and leans her cheek against his shoulder blade.

They trotted into the imperial city and were immediately surrounded by guards, pointing javelins at their faces which frightened their horse. "I said we came in peace!" Csaba pleaded and Farah closed her eyes, fearing the worst.

The archer from the towers climbed down the ladder and met with the Huns. "You will be taken to the imperial palace," he points to the large palace up ahead at the end of the road. "Emperor Liu is not fond of the Huna." He snickers and grabs Csaba's horse and leads them through the street.

Farah caught the soldiers eyeing her like a piece of candy and she was surely going to vomit now. "Csaba…" she whispered in his ear. "I don't want to stay here. They're staring at me."

"Don't worry, everything is going to be alright." He secretly told himself that over and over only hoping to come out of this alive and well.


	10. Chapter 10

**Tatli kiz/cocuk = sweet girl/boy**

**Shirin bola = sweet boy**

**Kozak = Hun headdress with veil attached**

**There's a lot of switching from place to place in this chapter. Many things happening at once :)**

Chapter 10 – _Beware The Sabir Queen_

The only perk of being a queen was that you didn't have to share a room with anyone else. Anastasia cherished sleeping in a bed by herself but felt bad for the other women who had to share the entire women's quarters. Leila didn't seem to mind but Bakkah didn't particularly like sharing an entire room with three other women, especially since she had to share a bed with Leila and she sure wasn't going to share a bed with Ursula and Handan.

Despite Ebnedzar's wives keeping to themselves, Bakkah sensed that she was not well liked by the two women and only came to realize this when she had to spend every waking moment with them. She stuck close by to Leila and had minimal conversation with Ursula and Handan.

Anastasia steer clear of all the women most of the time and was lucky enough to have a bunch of other children to occupy her daughters even though she wasn't very keen on Handan's boys. She felt bad for Soran since he had to share his room with Talat and Tolan.

In the middle of the night Cera crept into her mother's guest room and climbed into bed with her. Ana's eyes fluttered open and she rolled over onto her back and saw her daughter's red hair glistening in the candlelight.

Cera grinned from ear to ear. "Oh hello mommy, don't let me disturb you. Go back to sleep." She sunk into the pillow and closed her eyes.

Anastasia turned on her side and rested her cheek on her palm, glaring at her daughter feigning sleep. "What are you doing in here?"

The princess groaned and opened her eyes, not the least bit tired. "I don't like sharing a room with Arielle. She stays up late and her room is so messy!"

She chuckled at her daughter's obvious upset disposition. "You used to share a room with her when you were a baby."

"Well, I don't remember that." She concludes and stares into his mother's blue eyes. "When can we go back home? I don't like Arielle's grandma."

"Nobody does," she mumbled under her breath.

"My grandma is much better," Cera grins. "I wanna go home."

" _Tatli_   _kiz_ , I know you do and we will but we have to stay here until we know it's safe."

Cera sighs and scoots closer to her mother. "I haven't seen Csaba in a long time. Is he okay?"

Ana's mood immediately dampens at the mention of her son. She tried to keep that topic away from her daughters but it seemed like they weren't stupid and knew what was going on. She ran her fingers through Cera's silky red hair. "Your brother did something that was not very… _responsible_ ," she chose her words carefully. "He ran away."

The little princess sat up and slapped her palms to her cheeks. "Oh my god!" she exclaims. "Why did he run away? Was he mad?"

"I'm not sure."

"You're gonna find him, right mommy?"

She smiles faintly and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Of course. I sent your grandmother and Gabrielle to find him."

Cera relaxes back down onto the pillows. "Grandma will definitely find him. She's very smart."

* * *

Kreka's eyes shot wide open and her head throbbed excessively. She hadn't realized she was gone from Pannonia for almost three days now and she also had no idea where she was. She tried to sit up and her ankles were bound as were her wrists behind her back. Her body was also strapped to a large tree, including a rope tied to her neck. Beginning to panic, she hyperventilated and struggles in her bondage.

Balmaq and Iliger looked in her direction with big grins and the queen mother growled at both of them and. The Sabir brothers waltzed over to her and Balmaq tilted her chin with his finger. He gazed into her almond shaped hazel eyes and she almost bit his finger. Iliger roared with a loud laugh and slapped his brother on the back playfully.

"You have gorgeous eyes, Hun queen," Balmaq complimented her and she grit her teeth and hacked up a wad of saliva and spat it in his face. He grabbed her hair by the scalp and reared her back. Kreka breathed out deeply through her nostrils and didn't look away from his dark eyes.

Iliger bent down and inspected the khatun and traced his finger along her cheek and she closed her eyes tightly. He took notice of the silver streaks sprinkled throughout her black mane. "She is rather old, brother. She looks to be mother's age."

Her eyes shot open and she gasped, appalled by such an insult that he would imply that she appeared old and that was being compared to their mother. She had an inclination that these men's mother was the one who was responsible for all the destruction as of late.

"I thought the Hun queen would be much younger," he cocked his head to the side and smiled, grazing his finger along her strong jaw line. "But she is beautiful."

Balmaq stepped back and took another look at the Hun woman once more. He hadn't taken in her appearance seriously until now when his brother mentioned her age. The only thing that gave away her age was the wrinkles around her eyes and the silver streaks in her hair, but she did not look too old.

He grabbed his sword that was left at the campsite and Kreka's eyes widened, thinking that at this very moment she was going to be sliced in two. He cut through the top half of her burgundy cotton dress and it fell to her torso. His eyes wandered to the black dress sleeveless top she wore beneath the dress.

Iliger snickered and tore the rest of the dress off and now she sat in her black top and torn pants. "Much is left to be desired. Cut off the blouse, brother."

Balmaq grimaced at his little brother. "No. We aren't here to rape her."

"Later we will then. When mother sees we brought her the Hun queen she will be very pleased. And then she will give her to us. We can  _share_  her," he winked and her face contorted in disgust and she immediately felt ill.

"They will come looking for me," she said.

The brothers shared a gleaming smile together and looked at their prisoner. "They won't find us, Hun queen. We are very good at our jobs."

"So are my people. My commander will find you and she will cut you goats into pieces."

"Your commander huh?" Iliger slipped one strap off her shoulder and touched her bare shoulder. "We'll see about that."

Balmaq whacked his brother on the head. "We need to get moving. Cover her head with this bag," he tossed it to him and Iliger placed it over her head and tied it around her neck.

* * *

Xena scanned the barren area that separated Pannonia from the Roman Empire and Visigoth area and so far they had found nothing. Riding for two days was the least of her worries. She feared that Kreka was having a worse time than she was. Suddenly in her entire life as Commander of the Huns, she didn't expect to be put under this amount of pressure.

She was expected to find Csaba and Farah, keep Pannonia under control, watch Odoacer, conserve Dalmatia and now she had to go on this rescue mission with Gabrielle to find one of the most important women in the entire Hun nation. She thought her life had always been stressful but she was wrong –this time in her life and at her age –it was far more stressful than it ever was.

The only thing keeping her sane was Gabrielle and even then, she felt her partner could be a distraction to her at times. Constantly worrying over seemed to fade over time as they grew older, but there was always that sense of concern that something might happen to her.

Instead of wearing her traditional coin headpiece, she decided to wear a black headdress, similar to the one that all royal Hun women wore. The long black veil dipped down to the middle of her back and gold beads lined her forehead just above her eyebrows. Not once in her life she thought she would be wearing a headdress like this until now.

Gabrielle wore a black headdress with a much smaller veil to match the commander. Accompanying them was ten of Xena's elite soldiers that never left her side. They were trained far better than any of the other men in the entire army. Gabrielle wore a black cloak with matching pants and a tight tunic as did Xena. The soldiers were covered in black and silver armor to match the Sabir men that remained a mystery to the Huns.

In the middle of their journey, they walked on foot for awhile to allow the horses a break. Gabrielle took off her leather gloves and adjusted the lightweight headdress. She was not used to wearing anything on her head and felt somewhat strange that she was wearing this. A true Hun perhaps.

Her eyes glanced up at the focused commander. "Why are we wearing these again?"

"When we find Kreka I want to make a false impression to this woman."

"You want her to think we are royalty?" Gabrielle asked, very unsure of Xena's plan.

"Exactly."

The governor lifted the headdress and smoothed out her hair and Xena frowned. "Sorry. I'm not used to wearing these," she admits awkwardly and hides her blonde locks underneath the headpiece. "Where did you get these anyway? I didn't know you owned  _kozaks_."

Xena smiles. "I don't. I took these from Anastasia's closet."

"Xena!" she groans. "Won't she notice that these belong to a queen? I mean, they aren't regular  _kozaks_! They have beads and intricate embroidery on the tops."

"Gabrielle, Gabrielle," she calms her with a simple squeeze to the shoulder. "We're here to rescue Kreka not squabble over  _kozaks_. Now, we just have to figure out which direction they went." She stopped in her tracks and looked at the empty plains and there was nothing for miles. This was the only stretch of land that was unoccupied by Romans, Huns and Visigoths. It was almost considered neutral territory yet every single entity claimed it belonged to them.

"I don't understand how these men are unable to leave horse tracks. There's no way they left on foot. They couldn't carry Kreka for miles on their backs," Gabrielle observed and scratched her chin. "Maybe they didn't come this way."

Xena cursed to herself and walked ahead of everyone and searched the grassy fields again. The large wheat stalks swayed gently in the breeze. Of course there were no tracks. They came through the wheat fields so the hoof prints wouldn't be found. Very clever, she thought.

The governor continued talking to herself as no one else was offering some insight, especially her partner in crime at the moment. "Maybe they went east?" she suggests and taps her cheek in deep thought. "We are heading northwest. They could have gone south, but probably not because Dalmatia is south and so is Banat. Hey, they could have gone north instead of northwest!" she beamed and the soldiers looked to her with pensive expressions. "What?" she griped. "Xena?"

Xena took a few steps back when she noticed the wheat stalks moving against the wind and in a not so natural way. "Get out of here," she whispers.

"What's happening?"

"Get out!" she hopped on her horse and Gabrielle struggled to get on her horse out of fear. The soldiers retreated with their commander and Gabrielle looked at men coming out of the wheat fields, wearing black veils and armor. She panicked and quickly kicked the horse and rode behind the entourage.

The men threw bombs at them and Xena ducked her head and hid her eyes from the black smoke. Gabrielle coughed and covered her mouth with the  _kozak_  veil then rounded the steed to the left, following Xena and her men. The bombs set off a blazing fire, completely engulfing the entire field of wheat and Gabrielle looks at the men running in a crouched position away from the flames.

She snatched the bow from one of the soldiers and aimed at one of the escapees and shot the arrow at him while riding yards away from the fire. The black veiled man fell and none of his comrades came back to help him or save him. She smiled with satisfaction and tossed the bow back to the soldier.

"Man down!" she yells and Xena steered her horse back around towards the fiery field. She pointed at the man struggling to crawl through the wheat grass. "I shot one of them."

Xena's lips turned up in a wicked smile. "Bring him to me," she ordered her men.

* * *

She slapped her potential informant across the face for the fifth time as Gabrielle sat leisurely on the ground, chomping on an apple watching Xena work her magic as the infamous interrogator. He spat blood and drooled as he gazed into her eyes with such determination that Xena hadn't seen in a long time –not since she worked for Attila.

"It's going to get a whole lot worse if you don't cooperate with me right now," she warned him and he showed his bloody teeth with a sickening sneer. "Gabrielle, hand me the surujin." She ordered and the governor looked through the saddlebag and pulled out the weapon of choice and placed the surujin into Xena's palm.

She wrapped the chain-like whip around the man's neck and he looked into her eyes fiercely. "The longer you evade my questions the tighter this chain gets, you got that?" she hisses and gives a seductive smile. "Who are you working for? Who sent you to attack Pannonia?"

He bit his tongue and she pulled the surujin tighter around his throat and he croaked, making it harder for him to swallow.

"Who attacked the Khazar Hun tribe?" she asks and he remained vigilant to keep his ruler's secrets. She tightened the surujin again and this time he winced in pain. "Don't like that, do ya?" she snickers. "Tell me who you work for and this won't have to end in decapitation."

"I…" he choked and she loosened the chain. "I'd rather…die."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and threw the apple core behind her and sighed deeply, watching the commander's temper unfold into a very destructive state. Xena growled and slammed his body down to the ground and she sat on top of him, pulling the surujin tightly bound to his neck.

"Tell me who she is!"

"Hun…" his face began to turn blue.

Gabrielle crawled over and pulled Xena back. "Wait, he's trying to say something!" she said and Xena let go of the chain for a brief moment.

"Hun cunt," he spat in her face and Xena grabbed his nose and twisted it, instantly breaking it. He bit his bottom lip, threatening to cry out.

"Never mind." The blonde stood and folded her arms, leering over the bloody man. "He's all yours."

She pinched his cheeks together and stared into his dark eyes. " _Who_  are you?" she tried a different approach. " _What_  are you?"

"S…Sabir," he finally gives her something and she threw his head back and lifted herself off him and coiled the surujin around his neck and pulled him off the grass. He snarled and the Hun elites grabbed his arms so he would not retaliate against her.

"I've never heard of the Sabir people. Where do you come from?" she asked nicely and he resisted her, beginning to pull away. She yanked on the chain and he leapt forward.

He breathes with baited breath. "Siberia."

She releases the chain and he falls into the arms of the Hun soldiers. "Siberia…" she mutters and turns to Gabrielle who looked equally as puzzled as she did. "Kill him," she turned to her men.

"Xena!" the governor ran forward.

Xena rolls her eyes. "Sorry," she smiles at her partner. She almost forgot that she was not the only person in charge and Gabrielle was technically a station above her and had to follow her orders. " _May_  I kill him?" she asks with a terse grin.

"He might give us more information. We should send him back to Pannonia with two of your men," Gabrielle suggests. From the look in the commander's eyes, she was not keen on the idea. "He would do better in Ellac's custody. We can continue on with eight men instead of ten."

Xena sighs and waves her hand. "Do as she says."

"Yes commander," one of the soldiers answers and pulls the Sabir man towards his horse with the help of another Hun.

"Trying to defy me in front of your men, huh?" Gabrielle took a jab at her.

"I just want to see him suffer."

"As if your interrogation wasn't enough."

"Oh I was just getting started. I didn't even get to use the nunchucks." Xena's eyes widened wildly and she got a disapproving glare from the governor. She clears her throat and puts the surujin into the saddlebag. "At least we know who these people are and where this woman comes from. I wasn't aware there were any tribes in Siberia."

Gabrielle nods and leans on her horse. "Where do we go now? Should we continue northwest?"

"Oh, now you're asking  _me_? Aren't  _you_  in charge?" she snubs her and climbs aboard on her steed.

"Xena, you're the commander. You're in charge of these missions. I'm just here to make sure you don't do anything irrational."

"I'm very  _rational_ , Gabrielle. Don't be ridiculous." She trots off and Gabrielle gasps sharply and hops onto the horse to quickly trail behind. "The rest of the Sabirs went northwest so we follow their trail but we'll have to go around the field." She said and looked back at her partner. "Well, don't just sit back there, Gabrielle. We have a lot of work to do." She tells her with a playful smirk on her face.

* * *

Queen Boareks pulled her bow tautly and shot down the falcon that was flying over the snowy fields of Balaam. She watched the bird fall into the snow a few yards away and handed her bow to her son. "Go retrieve the animal, Kutilzis."

"Yes mother." The teenager rode down the hill and picked up the bird and plucked the arrow from its chest and tucked it into his belt then went back to his mother.

She smiled and took the small message that was tied to the falcon's leg and tossed the animal into the snow. She narrows her eyes and reads the small yet informative message then places it into her bodice. Kutilzis eyes his mother with curiosity.

"What does it say, mother?"

"The Nezak Huns were attacked by Emperor Liu," she replied. She knew the Chinese Emperor all too well and his people and hers never got along since they lived so close together. She had heard of the Nezaks and never bothered to attack them because she felt there was no opportunity to be had there but now she thought otherwise.

King Theodoric pointed her in the direction of the White Hun territory and she saw the large camp from miles away. This was indeed a large area to cover and it seemed that this message was very important and it would never reach the other party. She thought these Huns kept multiplying over the years and they weren't going to stop anytime soon. Pannonia was the heart of the Hun Empire and the White Huns were obviously in close contact with the Pannonians.

She turned to her dark haired son and cupped his cheek. " _Shirin bola_ , go to inland Balaam. Tell them you are from Kazakhstan."

Kutilzis frowned. "You want me to pretend to be a Hun?" he asked with a sour taste in his mouth.

"Just for now,  _shirin bola_. I want you to explain that you were attacked by the imperial Chinese army. Do not tell them any more than that and do not tell them your name. I want you to spy on the White Huns for me. Be kind to them and do not reveal anything about yourself or myself." She paddled his cheek. "You understand what to do, yes?"

He felt incredible disdain for the Hun people but he was not one to argue with his mother and queen. "Yes mother, I understand."

"Good." Boareks smiled. "Now go."

"How will I know when to leave?"

"You won't leave until you have gathered all important information from these White Huns, Kutilzis. Do not disappoint me." She glared at him and he instantly felt a wave of fear come over him and he nods his head vigorously and rides into Balaam.

* * *

Late at night Xena and Gabrielle stumbled upon a Sabir camp and they lay down in the grass so they were not seen. Xena instructed her men to stay back a few yards so they wouldn't cause alarm. They crawled on their bellies across the grass without their horses and looked at the Sabir assassins sitting around a campfire in the middle of a large field.

"This is Visigoth territory," Gabrielle whispered and Xena nodded.

"Indeed it is. That woman is either working with Theodoric or she's attacking Goth territory right now."

Gabrielle couldn't wrap her head around all of this clandestine trickery that this woman was putting everyone through. Why would assassins attack them? Why did they take Kreka? And why did they eradicate the Khazars? She wondered who was next.

"I don't understand why she's doing this."

Although Xena hated to admit it, she truly had no idea what this woman was up to either. "Nobody allies with the Goths unless there is a third party involved. The Goths do not have allies. She's working for someone else too."

"Like who? Odoacer?"

Xena raised her eyebrow. "He's not smart enough to pull any of these attacks off. It's not Odoacer."

"We don't know if she is allies with Theodoric either. She could be ransacking the area for all we know and so far, we know nothing. Except that she is from Siberia." She huffs and sinks into the grass and slithers down and pulls Xena down with her. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to wait for them to leave and we'll follow them. I want to see who this woman is."

"You're becoming obsessed with her. I don't know if you are intrigued by her or if you want to kill her."

"Both," Xena says and crawls back up to observe the assassins passing coin to each other and muttering in a foreign language. "They're counting coin." She saw one of the men pass a large pouch to another man beside him. "And it's a lot of it."

Gabrielle looked at the bag of coin and the man placed it into a box and set it inside a saddlebag. "She pays her assassins a lot of money."

"No doubt they got a large sum when they attacked Ernak."

"Some assassins," Gabrielle grumbled. "They didn't even kill him. That's what I don't understand. Why isn't she killing anyone?"

"Oh she will." Xena grinned and relished the thought of wrapping her arms around the Sabir woman's neck and choking her to death. "She's waiting for the right moment."

They didn't have to wait long as the assassins mounted their horses right before dawn and took off northwest. Xena and Gabrielle ran back to their horses and followed behind the Sabirs at a fair distance and leisure speed not to alarm the men. It was difficult to hide in a large grassy area such as this which is why Xena decided it best to stay a couple of miles behind but not too far, so she could follow their tracks.

The Sabir assassins approached the Visigoth camp in the outskirts and the Hun entourage halted their horses and hid in the woods that safely guarded Goth lands. Gabrielle got a closer look and climbed onto the tallest tree and used a telescope to eye the assassins entering Goth territory in a large field behind Theodoric's royal tents.

Xena waited down below with her arms folded and was rather impatient and tapped her boot rapidly. "Well?" she called up to the governor.

Gabrielle's jaw dropped when she saw hundreds of tents and the veiled men walking around with weapons, food and various supplies. She looked several more times and saw no woman. Only men. "By God," she utters and drops from the tree and handed the telescope to Xena. "There are tents everywhere. She's working with Theodoric."

"That bastard," Xena growled. "Did you see her?"

The governor shook her head. "I only saw the army. She isn't here."

"Of course she isn't…" she took a look through the scope and witnessed Theodoric emerging from his tent and conversing with a few of his officers. "Oh my good friend, Theodoric," she smiled. "If her camp is here then Kreka will be here."

"I didn't see any women, Xena."

"Kreka has to be here or she's going to be here. We have to wait and keep a look out in case she arrives. When Theodoric sees Kreka he is going to be very shocked."

Gabrielle pinched her nose. "What if he  _wanted_  her to be kidnapped?"

"Not his style."

"You are giving this woman far too much credit."

Xena frowned at her blonde cohort and shoved the telescope in her chest and Gabrielle stumbled backward. "She's insane, Gabrielle. I thought Tomiri was bad but she… _she_  is something else. She is the new scourge of God."

"Tomiri kept Ellac prisoner for over ten years. I think she wins in the hostage department but this woman comes to a close second. What do you think she wants with Kreka?"

"I have no idea." She frowns sadly, wondering how the khatun was faring right about now. "We wait here and take turns watching the camp. You're up first." She slapped Gabrielle on the back and the blonde jolted forward. She got a horrible mug from the governor. "Oh, am I supposed to ask  _permission_  to take my leave too?" she teased and walked into the forest to rest for awhile.

Gabrielle cursed under her breath and sat down against the tree and waited patiently, watching Theodoric and his men scurry around the camp.

* * *

Kutilzis rode up to the Adame and was met with guards pointing their lances at his face. Navaz stepped out and frowned at him. He put on a smile and lifted his hands up to show that he was not here for trouble. "I come unarmed!" he says and Fairuza comes out of the Adame as well and Kutilzis' eyes dart to the redheaded queen and tried to keep his composure.

Tuya also stepped out and this time the Sabir teenager's face contorted. He knew both of those women were queens judging by their attire. His mother taught him well about Hun clothing and what queens and royal women wore. He was very confused now. He thought there was only one Hun queen and that was the one who was supposed to be captured and brought back to their camp.

Anastasia walked out, not in a dress like the other queens but in black pants tucked in her boots and a tight fitting dark blouse. She stood beside Navaz and glared at the boy with his arms up. Kutilzis looked to Fairuza, to Tuya and then to Anastasia and his mouth parts.

"Who is this?" Ana asked.

Navaz stepped down. "Where do you come from, boy?"

Kutilzis nearly lost his concentration while staring at the striking women and turned to the king with a smile. "Kazakhstan!" he says and Navaz waves his hand at the guards and the lances were lowered.

"You're Nezak?" he clarifies.

"Yes!" the teen lied. "I come to seek refuge here. Am I permitted to stay?"

Anastasia folded her arms and kept her eyes on the boy and Fairuza looked at Tuya with concern. Navaz allowed the teenage boy to come into the inland and they walked up the stairs to the large Adame. Kutilzis' eyes wandered around and admired the large palace and he had never seen something like this before. The Khazar Huns had nothing like this and his own tribe in Siberia didn't have a palace either even though he was a prince and his mother a queen.

Navaz walked by the three women with Kutilzis by his side and Anastasia met eyes with the boy and he felt like she was looking right through him so he averted his gaze elsewhere and entered the palace.

Fairuza folded her arms and she, Ana and Tuya all watched through the doorway as the king disappeared with the boy. "Why would a Nezak boy travel by himself all the way to Balaam?"

"With your permission, I would like to take your place in the conference room, Fairuza." Anastasia asked and the redheaded queen nodded, more than willing to give the empire's queen the right to do what she wished.

* * *

Navaz rounded the table and Kutilzis sat in a chair opposite him and smiled nervously. "So, you rode by yourself?"

"Yes sir."

"Did Bey Malka send you?"

Kutilzis panicked and played it off, remembering his mother's words and how disappointed she'd be if he ruined this plan. "I came on my own accord. It is very chaotic in Kazakhstan right now. The Chinese invaded and I'm afraid that we are low on supplies and men." He tried not to sound too eager and kept his speech low and slow to hide his anxiety.

Anastasia swung open the doors and the Sabir boy turned around and his eyes widened. She crinkled her nose and closed the doors behind her and walked around to stand beside Navaz. She didn't take her eyes off the boy and Kutilzis kept his face blank and focused.

"He came on his own," the king whispers. "He says the Nezaks are low on supply and manpower."

Ana nods and smiles at the boy briefly and Kutilzis bowed his head to hide his deceitful eyes. "How many men does Malka have?"

"I…I'm not sure. I left in a hurry."

"You look a little too young to be a soldier. How do you know the army is low on supply?"

Kutilzis shrugged a shoulder. "I just took a guess. I left after the Chinese invaded."

"And what about your family?" Anastasia pressed and Navaz gave her a strange look.

"I don't have any family."

She nodded and looked at his attire and saw no blood, no tears or wear. He didn't look like he could survive the journey from Kazakhstan to Balaam. "Nice clothes." She pointed to his black tunic and girdle. His eyes looked down at his attire and he shifted in the chair. "I'm sure you're exhausted from your long journey. Perhaps you would like to stay in one of the rooms and rest awhile?"

"Oh that would be most kind of you," the Sabir grinned and stood up.

Navaz nudged his head to his guard and Kutilzis was shown out of the room. He turned to Anastasia and gently slapped her arm. "What was that?  _Nice_   _clothes_?" he mocked her.

"He's lying, Navaz. Nobody looks that good after a journey to Balaam especially a war torn boy. He's younger than my son."

"He said he left after the Chinese invaded. He could have stolen the clothes."

She smirks. "Alright, sure. Keep an eye on him and don't let him out of your sight. I'm going to check on Arielle and Cera."

* * *

Ebnedzar walked into his brother's chambers and Ellac was laying on the floor smoking opium at his leisure. The elder brother pursed his lips and he stood over his king brother and Ellac lifted his eyes as he blew out a cloud of smoke.

"Enjoying yourself?" he mused.

"Leave me alone, Ebnedzar. I have enough to deal with."

The shaman brother smiled and took a seat in one of the low chairs and crossed a leg over the other. "I don't think Anastasia would approve of you smoking opium."

"Is she here?" Ellac looked around. "No, she's not. I don't care." He inhaled a large amount of smoke and blew it out through his nostrils. "Are the borders guarded?" he asked.

"Yes…" Ebnedzar looked at the state his brother was in and sighed deeply. "Well, there is one thing."

The king frowned and rolled over onto his side, gripping the hose tightly.

"Czarina Rabia is here with her husband, Balasz. They want to speak to you."

Ellac slapped his forehead and let out a hefty roar. "Son of a bitch," he mumbled. He didn't want to deal with an angry woman and he really didn't care for Balasz either. He knew exactly why Rabia was here and it was to inquire about her missing sister but he had no information for her. In fact, he didn't even have anyone looking for Csaba and Farah at the moment because his commander, stepmother and governor were all gone. His men were spread thin guarding Pannonia and he had to deal with his grieving brothers. Ernak was the worst of the two and had several outbursts at people due to his mother's disappearance.

"Should I send them away? Because I don't think they're going to leave."

Ellac rubbed his face and he sat up. "Send them in."

"Great, because they're waiting outside the chambers." Ebnedzar smiled and ran over to open the doors for the Banats. Rabia and Balasz walked in and Ellac tried to put on a smile for the infuriated Czarina but she was having none of it.

"Your highness, I want answers about my sister. Have your scouts found her yet?"

Ellac stood up slowly and leaned on a large column to steady himself. He felt his mind elsewhere after smoking the flower for hours. "Well, Czarina, that's a great question. The answer is no. My men haven't found her yet but I assure you…I will get on it."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Meaning…" he waves his hand to think of the right words. "I will get to it when I get to it," he grins and Rabia frowns, nearly leaping forward to attack him and her husband held onto her. "Czarina, I have a lot on my plate at the moment. It is difficult for me to focus on your sister when I have other matters to attend to. My son will keep her safe."

"Your son is the one who kidnapped her! She's been gone for two months now! What am I supposed to tell my father? He is deathly ill and I don't know if he can dwell on the disappearance of his daughter any longer!"

He sighed and nodded, understanding her pain. "I have an idea…" he slapped his hand on the Banat General's shoulder. "Why don't you send your father's men to look for her, eh?"

Rabia raised her eyebrow and Balasz pried the king's hand off his shoulder. "Hun King, I have my own worries to deal with. Justinian's men are marching towards my land."

"And I have a tribe threatening my entire empire. So as you can see, we're both busy. If you want your sister back then send scouts to look for her," he eyed Rabia. "I could help you against Justinian but your father insists that I am his enemy."

"Your son stole my sister!" the Czarina cried.

He put up his hand to hush her. "Yes, I understand you're very upset about that, Czarina. I really have to get back to my work so if you would show yourselves out." He pointed to the door.

The incensed Czarina stormed out with her husband by her side and Ebnedzar smiled at them both and bowed his head. The guards closed the doors and Ellac plopped back down onto the rug. "Wow. That was very… _convincing_ , brother. It looks as if you don't care about Csaba."

"I do care about Csaba. He's my son. But I don't have enough people to look for him and Farah. I know that they're safe." He picked up the hose and continued his afternoon activity that he had been doing for the last few days. "Would you like to join me?"

"You shouldn't get lost in the clouds, Ellac. You have to focus." He turned and left the chamber.

Now that the king was alone again he felt even more lonely than he did before his brother walked in. he wished that Anastasia were here to smooth things over with Rabia. She was better at dealing with chaotic women like that and he had no clue how to talk to Rabia or even address the issue of Farah. He sunk into the pillows and stared at the wood ceiling while smoking the opium, daydreaming in his own misery. He thought that he was spreading everyone too thin but he knew that if his father were still alive that he'd never forgive him if Kreka was not found.

It was best that he sent Xena and Gabrielle to do their job and rescue Kreka. But at the same time he really needed Gabrielle here to run the empire. He felt lost without everyone here around him. There was no way he could run the empire on his own and the more he thought of that the more of a failure he began to think he was.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Gabrielle stood watch for the evening and morning. Xena kept watch in the afternoon but so far nothing was happening. Gabrielle knew that Theodoric was in over his head working with this woman but she had no idea why he was doing this and what this Sabir woman was planning to do. She obviously wanted to eradicate every single Hun tribe there was. The governor wondered if the woman was going to attack Pannonia next and maybe it was not a good idea that she and Xena were away from the heartland right now.

As she sat in the woods and waited she ate a piece of bread and kept her eyes glued to the Goth camp. She was too far away to see inside the Sabir camp in the open field behind Visigoth civilization. Sighing deeply she felt herself falling asleep while she kept watch.

Balmaq and Iliger entered the Goth camp and Gabrielle's eyes opened when she heard rustling and yelling –a female voice. She stood up and wiped her mouth then walked over to a tree to hide and peered at the Sabir brothers riding in with Kreka tied and pulled by a horse with a rope around her neck and a black bag over her head.

"Xena!" she hissed and the commander was in the middle of a conversation with one of her men. She rushed over immediately and Gabrielle pointed to the trio. "It's Kreka. She's here," she smiled, feeling some relief that all that waiting wasn't for nothing.

The brothers spoke to the Goth king in hushed tones and then pulled their Hun prisoner with them and Kreka jolted forward, stumbling as she was blind and couldn't see. Although, even though she couldn't see, she recognized the male voice of Theodoric and shouted several obscene phrases at the Goth king and Balmaq grabbed her arm and pushed her forward and she fell to her knees.

Xena growled and wanted to go and attack the Sabir men. "They're taking her to the camp. We should follow them."

"Theodoric is going to see us. We can't just follow them." Gabrielle advised and the commander nodded in agreement. Gabrielle climbed up the tree and whipped out the telescope and the two Sabir men kept pushing Kreka forward blindly and she bumped into several Sabir soldiers and they shoved, prodded and touched her bare arms. Gabrielle cringed in disgust and turned to the right and saw Queen Boareks riding into the camp, clad in a black long cloak and her midnight tresses swaying in the wind.

"She's here," she alerted Xena and the others. She extended the scope and squinted her eye to observe the woman on the large black horse.

Xena looked up at the governor squatting on the tree branch. "What does she look like?"

"Um…" she watched Boareks jump off the horse and walk over to the Sabir men that held Kreka in their possession. "Pale skin, black hair, just like your brothers said. She's tall. Beautiful too," she muttered.

"Gabrielle, I don't care if she's the most gorgeous woman in the world. Tell me what she's doing."

"She's taking Kreka into a giant tent." She lowered the telescope and dropped down to the ground. "What are we going to do now? I lost sight of them. We can't just waltz in there."

Xena rubbed her chin and looked at Theodoric. He seemed distraught and completely out of his element. "I can't go in there but you can."

Gabrielle's heart sank. "Excuse me?"

"You can disguise yourself as one of the Sabir soldiers. Wear a veil over your face. They'll never know."

"Xena I don't know if that's a good idea."

"You're calmer than I am. You can do this, Gabrielle. I just want you to spy on that woman and make sure that Kreka isn't harmed." She grabbed her partner and ripped the  _kozak_  veil off and placed it over the headpiece to guard her face. "We'll wait until Theodoric goes back into his tent and then you ride into the Sabir camp. Act calm. Do not say anything or they will discover you."

Gabrielle lifted the veil and frowned at the commander. "This is insane, Xena. What if they catch me?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Gabrielle. You're great at this. I have faith in you." She kissed her cheek and smiled wildly.

"I don't like that smile."

* * *

Balmaq forced the khatun to her knees and looked at his mother. She smiled at both of her sons and ripped the bag off of Kreka's head and frowned. Kreka blinked, adjusting her eyes to light that she hadn't seen in days. She immediately gazed at the tall Sabir woman in awe and a bit of horror as well.

Boareks folded her arms. "Who is this?" she asked her sons.

"The Hun Queen, mother," the elder son explained and saw the fury rising in his mother.

"This is not the Hun Queen. The queen is younger," she glared at the hazel eyed Hun woman.

Kreka lifted her eyebrow and stared at the men who apparently were the sons of this dangerous woman. She realized this was a horrible mistake and the queen that this woman wanted was Anastasia. For once she was grateful that someone pointed out her age but wondered what would have happened if Ana was kidnapped instead of her.

Balmaq looked worriedly at his younger brother and stared into his mother's black eyes. "Mother, she is the Hun Queen. We heard someone address her as so."

She growled and drew her sword out and pointed it at both of her sons. Kreka's eyes widened and she zipped her lips so she would not be on the other end of this crazy woman's blade. "I asked you to do one thing for me! And you failed! This is not the Hun Queen! You disappoint me, both of you!" she slashed her sons' arms and they hissed. She turned and grabbed Kreka by her hair.

"Who are you?" she demanded an answer.

The khatun's lips parted and Boareks held the blade to her throat. "For someone who attacks Hun tribes you sure don't know a lot about us."

"Speak plainly, Hun swine."

Kreka smiled and felt the blade glide against her throat and she panicked inwardly but did not show her concern to the Sabir queen. "I am more useful to you alive."

Boareks chuckled and bent down, coming face to face with the Hun woman. "Is that so? Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you."

"For one, you should know everything about your enemy before you decide to demolish an entire tribe." The khatun played a dangerous game with the Sabir woman and felt the blade dig into her skin so she spoke quickly. "And two, if you truly knew anything about the Huns then you would know there is more than one queen." She crookedly smiled.

The Sabir queen pulled the blade away and looked into the honest eyes of her prisoner. "More than  _one_?" she asks, just as surprised as her sons were to hear the news. She glares at her sheepish sons who held their bleeding arms and she licked her top lip and tapped her sword against her thigh impatiently.

"And you are one of them," she stated and Kreka did not nod but narrows her eyes for no longer than a second. "Leave my tent," she curtly demanded her sons. They were more than happy to leave her tent and hurried out, muttering to each other. Boareks now had the Hun queen all to herself and she circled around her, admiring her slender physique and long dark hair.

Kreka's eyes followed the woman's boots circling around her. "Why are you allies with the Visigoths?" she asks.

Boareks cocked her head and stared down at the older Hun queen and lifted her chin to gaze into those long almond shaped eyes. Kreka furrowed her eyebrows and stared back into the dark pools above her. The more she stared at the Sabir woman the more hideous she became, despite her striking features and subtle beauty.

"He will betray you." She tells the Sabir. "You've made a huge mistake. You kidnapped the wrong queen and now Theodoric knows I am here. He will question your ability to do anything now." She was immediately backhanded by the tall Sabir queen and the khatun gasped and spat out a glob of blood onto the floor.

* * *

Gabrielle was able to sneak into the camp unnoticed so far, but she did get a few looks from the other soldiers but they didn't seem to be curious and kept going on about their business. She walked with her horse around the field and passed a few men gathered around a campfire, drinking and playing games as if nothing was happening outside the Goth territory.

She heard Kreka yelling and turned in that direction and saw the Sabir woman dragging Kreka out of the tent by her hair. Many of the soldiers gathered around, gawking at the khatun as if she were some prized possession. She was tossed to the center of the camp and Kreka groaned, trying to get up and Boareks stomped her boot onto the queen's spine, forcing her into the ground.

"Shit," utters Gabrielle. She left her horse and pushed through the crowd to get a closer look. She stood behind two tall Sabir soldiers and frowned sadly at the queen mother, stripped of her dress and her hair wild and frizzy, her lip bleeding and cuts along her cheeks.

"It seems that we have many Hun Queens!" Boareks told her men and they looked at her confusedly. "She is but only one! We must find them all and –"

Xena's loud war cry was heard at the entrance of the camp and the Sabir queen turned and saw her with a slew of intruders. Xena smiled at the dark haired queen, finally able to see her face and pulled out her bow and aimed directly at her.

Boareks' sons immediately shielded her and began tracing their steps backward. Before the queen disappeared she took out a dagger from her boot and stabbed Kreka in the back and ran with her sons to her horse. Gabrielle gasped and the soldiers scattered to grab weapons and horses. She flipped the veil up over the kozak and knelt down beside Kreka and pulled out the dagger.

"Attack them!" Xena ordered her eight men and spotted Gabrielle coddling Kreka and took off to follow the Sabir queen and her sons.

Gabrielle saw Xena riding after the Sabir queen and shook her head. She untied the ropes from Kreka's wrists and ripped the veil off the kozak and wrapped it around her torso to subside the bleeding. The khatun lifts her eyes and smiles, grateful to see the blonde governor in front of her.

"Gabrielle…" she cups her cheek and then her eyes enlarge with fear, witnessing a Sabir soldier running up behind to stab Gabrielle.

The governor quickly grabbed the dagger lying in the grass and turned around, stabbing the soldier in the chest. He croaked and she stabbed him again, and again and again. Sabir blood spattered all over her face and he fell to his knees, clutching the stab wounds to his chest. She kicked him in the jaw and he fell on his back, gasping for air.

Breathing heavily she dropped the dagger and smeared the blood on her face then turned to the horrified khatun. "Come on," she helped her up and they walked over to the horse on the far side of the camp. Kreka hobbled along and Gabrielle pushed up onto the horse.

"Xena. Where is Xena?" she frantically looked around and Gabrielle mounted the horse.

"She went after that woman." she said and steered the horse away from the camp.

"Gabrielle! You have to go after her! That woman is mad!"

"I can't do anything about it! She won't listen to me when she gets like this!" she rode out of the Sabir camp and was bombarded by Theodoric and his goons. Judging by the look on his face he was surprised to see Kreka Khatun sitting on the horse and Gabrielle glared at him.

"Gabrielle," he greets in a cold tone. "Xena bypassed my men." His eyes dart to the widow of Attila and she frowns deeply.

"I don't know what you're up to Theodoric but you shouldn't ally with that woman. She has destroyed one of our tribes and she kidnapped our queen," Gabrielle states and he lowers his eyes as if he is ashamed.

He chuckled and that only enraged Gabrielle more. "You are the voice of the Huns now, Greek woman? Did Xena not kidnap you from your home?"

"We aren't talking about me and Xena right now. I wasn't there when you warred with the Huns but I was able to stop your failed attempts to attack Pannonia almost five years ago. We are not friends but we aren't enemies either. Kreka is injured and I need to get her medical attention. It would be wise of you if you let us go. I have no control over what Xena does to you or that woman you allied with."

He sighs and looks at the blood seeping down the queen's side and nods his head to his men. They step aside and Gabrielle smiled, feeling proud of herself that she was able to sway the Goth king. She didn't think he would actually go for it but he did, which was surprising, considering the Hun and Goth relationship over the last few decades.

"Best if you leave quickly. I do not want the Sabirs to think I am friends with you."

"Thank you," she bows her head and trots away.

Kreka glared at the blonde Goth king and grabbed Gabrielle's shoulder. "Stop," she says and the horse jerks backward. "Who is that woman?" she asks Theodoric.

"Queen Boareks," he answers.

* * *

Xena chased the Sabir queen and her sons through Visigoth forests and she swerved through the trees, following with her head ducked down. The two brothers turned around and shot arrows at her to which she dodged and steered in a different direction.

Balmaq and Iliger looked around for the Hun commander and then the two crashed into a large brush filled with burr plants and they tumbled down a hill. Scraping their bodies with the broken tree branches and rocks banging up their knees, they kept tumbling downward and the two grabbed onto each other's arms and grabbed a tree trunk to save themselves.

Xena increased speed and Queen Boareks whipped her head to the side and saw the Hun woman following her. Xena cast an enticing devious smile and the Sabir queen growled. She kept riding, ignoring the commander coming up to the side of her horse.

Xena bumped Boareks horse with hers and tried to grab her arm but she rode quickly through the woods. Up ahead there was a waterfall and Xena yanked on the reins before reaching the edge. She watched in amazement as the Sabir queen jumped over the cliff and landed on the other side of the waterfall.

Queen Boareks breathed heavily and she circled around and stared at the Hun commander on the other side of the waterfall. She smiled grandly and waved at her then continued riding through the forest.

"Dammit!" Xena cursed with a growl in her throat.

* * *

Kreka sat in the wooded area outside of Visigoth territory and felt Gabrielle slab some herbs into her gash. "Gabrielle!" she whined.

"Sorry, this is a really bad wound. You're lucky that she didn't stab you in the middle of your spine." She tries to lighten the mood and looked up at Xena arriving with the rest of her men. She stood up and ran over and kissed Xena's hand. "Where did you go? Did you catch her?"

Xena frowned. "No. I lost her." She hated feeling defeated but that was not the last time she was going to see that woman. Next time, there would be no chasing, only swords. Yes, she thought, a sword driven right through the Sabir's heart would do it.

She felt her mind wandering and peered down at the concerned blonde. Gabrielle walked back over to the hurt khatun and continued dressing the wound. "Her name is Queen Boareks."

The commander nodded and smiled almost to the point of snickering but was reminded that others were watching. "Boareks. What a stupid name."

Kreka agreed. "Head of a boar. She is certainly an animal," she scoffed and then winced at Gabrielle digging her fingers in the gaping wound. "Xena, there's something you should know…" she says, ready for the commander to blow up. "They kidnapped me by mistake. They weren't after me…" she saw Xena's eyes turn a dark blue. "She wanted Anastasia."

"Oh, she's gotta go."

Gabrielle puckered her lips and kept her words to herself. She wrapped a bandage around Kreka's waist quickly and watched Xena pace back and forth hastily.

"When I see her again I'm going to kill her." Xena says and both women's eyes follow her pacing. "I'm going to rig her up to a crucifix and break her legs. And then I will stab her in a place where she will slowly bleed out." She clenched her fist and glanced at the shocked faces of her comrades.

"That's…very vivid," Kreka comments and Gabrielle nods slowly.

Xena changed the subject and frowns at Gabrielle. "How did you get passed Theodoric?"

"He…let us go."

"Hmm." She thought that odd but wasn't going question the king's generosity. "We should get going before the sun sets. Being in Visigoth territory makes me want to puke." She stomped off.

Kreka stood up slowly after her wound was dressed and bandaged. "You're not even going to ask how I am?!" she shouts at Xena. "I was almost raped!"

Gabrielle put the bandages and left over medical supply into her saddlebag and pulled the khatun aside while Xena was rounding up her soldiers. "Her mind is elsewhere," she tried to make excuses for her. "I'm glad you're alright. Ernak and Dengi are going to be very happy to see you."

"Well,  _thanks_  Gabrielle," she sighs. She walked over to the governor's horse and gingerly climbed on. "You know, we should warn Navaz about Boareks. If she was after Anastasia, she's going to get to her somehow. Theodoric knows about Navaz and his kingdom."

Gabrielle hopped on and looked over at Xena having a serious discussion with her elites. "We should probably go back to Pannonia first before we talk about that with Xena."

"Are you two done chatting back there?" Xena calls out.

* * *

Farah rocked back and forth, biting what little cuticles she had left on her fingers. She felt like she was losing her mind sitting in this cell beneath the Chinese Emperor's large palace. She knew that she didn't want to go back home because she wanted to be with Csaba and he had been very kind to her but now, she was regretting that decision.

Csaba paced back and forth in front of the cell door, thinking of different ways how to get him and Farah out of this awful situation. No guards had come by in the last few hours which was concerning because they traded shifts throughout the day. There also weren't any other prisoners down here which meant the emperor most likely killed them. What a horrible time it was to be a Hun. He never thought that the hatred of his people would reach this far across the map.

He glanced over at the pale Czarina and knelt down in front of her. She lifted her bright green eyes and he took her fingernails out of her mouth. "I'm going to get us out of this, I promise."

"Csaba, we are trapped here! We're probably going to die!" she shouts in desperation and he cupped her face in his palms.

"We won't die. I told you I would keep you safe and I will. You trust me, right?"

Her mind lingered elsewhere and all she could think of was the horrible face her sister gave her the last moment she saw her. She turned to the young prince and felt some doubt in his words even though he did well to keep her fed and safe throughout their journey. Perhaps she should trust him or perhaps she was willing herself to be given to the emperor and be left to the slaughter. Either way, she didn't trust anyone, but Csaba had been nothing but sincere and kind to her since they met.

Farah smiles faintly and he kissed her forehead. "If we get out of this place alive then I want to go back to Pannonia."

He raised his brows in surprise. "Really? You don't want to go back to your homeland?"

"My sister is too controlling and my father is no better. I want to be with you. I like your family."

He thought of his large family and all he could think of was how his mother was faring right now. She was probably very worried about him and he felt bad for causing his mother such pain and anxiety. But she just wouldn't listen to him. He felt like he was being treated like a child by his parents and his grandmother and sometimes, even Gabrielle.

Two imperial guards walked into the prison and Csaba helped Farah off the floor. One of the soldiers opened the door and Csaba eyed them suspiciously. "Emperor Liu will see you now, Huna."

Csaba and Farah hesitated and the guards pulled them both out of the cell and pushed them up the stairs. "Go! He does not like to wait!"

* * *

The two were brought into a large throne chamber filled with several dignitaries from various parts of China. Csaba scanned the room and even saw two men that were not Chinese but possibly from the Steppes or Balkans. Were Huns working for this emperor? He didn't know but he could find out if the emperor was willing to listen.

Emperor Liu stepped out and everyone dropped to their knees, bowing to him. The guards pushed Farah and Csaba down to their knees and they were forced to bow to the ruler of inland China. Farah lifted her eyes and spotted the young emperor sit on his throne and everyone stood from the marble floor. She and Csaba were whacked on their backs and they rose slowly.

"So, you are the Huna that were trespassing along my Wall," Emperor Liu smiles at them both. Farah frowned and didn't really like being called a Hun since she wasn't one. She realized that nobody liked the Huns; not even her own people and certainly not the Chinese either.

Csaba stepped forward and lances blocked his passage. "Sir, we didn't know we were trespassing. We have never been to China before."

The emperor nodded. "That much is obvious, Huna. My imperial guards informed me that you are from Pannonia."

"Yes, your majesty," Csaba remembered to be respectful of all rulers just like his parents taught him. He was after all, a foreigner in this land.

"What are you doing all the way out here?"

The prince quickly thought of an excuse, "We were exploring. We meant no harm."

"Of course, of course. I can see that you are no threat to me." Emperor Liu eyed Farah who stood behind the Hun prince. "Your possession is most beautiful. Are all Hun women as beautiful as her?"

Farah groaned lowly and Csaba squeezed her hand tightly. "Some are more beautiful than others, Emperor. I was asked if I was Nezak at the Wall. Do you have conflict with the Nezak Huns?"

The Emperor frowned and tapped his fingers on the armrest of his throne. "They are a thorn in my side. They demand a peace treaty with me as well as weaponry. I will not give them anything."

"And you have no problems with Pannonians?"

"You ask a lot of questions, Huna."

Csaba felt he was overstepping his bounds but he glanced at the two men who stuck out like a sore thumb. He wondered where they were from exactly. They also glared at him. "Forgive me, emperor, but my family is very good friends with the Nezaks. They are peaceful and do not engage in wars like my tribe does. They don't have enough soldiers to fight you and perhaps they fear they will be taken over by your empire."

Emperor Liu laughed and the other dignitaries laughed with him. Csaba nervously looked around and Farah firmly held Csaba's hands for comfort.

"I like you, Huna. You are very funny and you speak well. What is your name?"

"Prince Csaba from the House of Uldin."

Everyone in the room whispered and the Emperor's smile faded. "You are a prince of Pannonia?" he asks and Csaba nodded. "You should have told me before I arrested you."

Csaba half grinned. "You did not give me a chance to, your highness."

The young emperor chuckles and waves his hand. "What is this House of Uldin?"

"My great, great grandfather," Csaba explained. "My grandfather was Attila."

"Attila? He was a great warrior and king." The emperor rubs his chin. "Prince Csaba, how would you like to work under my empire? I will pay you generously to be my general of my imperial army. Perhaps I could be friends with these Nezaks if you think they are worthy enough."

His jaw dropped and Farah's did as well. That was not something that either of them were expecting to hear. "It…would be a great honor of mine…" he looked back at the shock upon Farah's face. "Will she be able to stay with me?"

Emperor Liu looked at Farah with a sly grin. "Yes, Csaba, of course. You will have a section of my palace all to yourself  _if_  you choose to take my offer."

"Of course, yes. I will gladly take your offer. I have a feeling that my people could be a great asset to your empire."

"We'll see about that once you prove yourself, Prince Csaba. My guards will show you and your woman to your quarters." He rose and everyone bowed their heads. Csaba and Farah followed everyone's example and he disappeared behind a beaded curtain with his servants.

Csaba grinned and hugged Farah. He kissed her on the lips which took her for surprise. "Csaba!" she smiled and he grabbed her small waist and picked her up off the floor.

"I told you that I would get us out of this. You are willing to stay here with me, right? This is a great opportunity to build my family's empire into China."

"I'll go wherever you want me to."

* * *

Ernak, now less heated and level headed since he heard of the disappearance of his mother, finally came out of his room and spoke to Ellac. He could see that all of these men were falling apart and for several reasons. All of the Hun men missed their wives and children and it showed, especially on Ellac's face. He was uninterested in everything these days and was completely lost without his other half.

Ernak also felt empty without Bakkah by his side and missed his infant son, Kurt, as well. He didn't really realize how much the women played such a vital role in this empire. He hated to say it but he even missed Xena even though she scared him sometimes. But she and Gabrielle promised to bring his mother home and he was counting on them. He knew that they could do it. They were definitely the right people for the job and he put his mother's life in their hands.

Ellac requested that all of the brothers have a meeting together to try and help the people of Banat even though the Czar didn't want anything to do with them. He sent Ernak to find Dengi and bring him to the king's quarters for their private meeting.

He opened Dengi's door and he stood frozen in the doorway. He gawked at the naked woman on top of his brother and Dengi sat up, gently pushing the slender woman off him and Ernak frowned then took in a deep breath.

"Is this what you've been doing in your spare time, brother?" he asked in a calm tone and the woman brought the sheet close to her naked body. "Fucking whores?" he eyed the woman with long curly honey colored hair.

Dengi put up his hand and wrapped the sheet around his waist and stood slowly. "She's not a whore."

"But she's certainly not your  _wife_."

Dengi turned to his bed mate, "Azra, please leave," he said softly. She grabbed her dress and slipped off the bed with the sheet still wrapped around her body.

"Oh, she has a name?" Ernak smiled at his brother, appalled by his actions.

"Leave her out of this. This is not her fault, Ernak."

"Not her fault?!" he shouted and Azra tried to step passed the angry brother and he grabbed her arm firmly. "She knows you are a prince! She knows you have a wife! Remember her? Her name is Leila!" he growled and Azra gasped as she was held close to his chest.

Dengi stepped towards his brother cautiously, afraid for Azra's life. "Brother, please. Let her go. This is my fault. Not hers."

Ernak let go of the young Hun girl and she darted out of the room. He shoved his brother backward and Dengi bit his bottom lip to contain himself from attacking back. Ernak pushed him again and he breathed out slowly.

"Ernak, stop."

"Why are you having sex with other women, Dengi? Is Leila not good enough for you? Is this how you behave without your wife around? Do you always fuck women when your wife is gone?"

"No!" he was shoved again. "Ernak, stop it!"

Loud drums echoed throughout the Adame from outside and Dengi looked to the window and he was thrown to the ground by his little brother. He grabbed Ernak by his arms and the two rolled on the floor. The sheet slipped off of Dengi's muscular body and he stared down at his brother, pressing his body against him.

Ellac and Ebnedzar walked into the bedroom and saw their two younger brothers fighting on the floor and Ebnedzar cocked his head, staring at Dengi's nude body. Ellac folded his arms and watched the two roll around and Dengi got punched in the face and he held his bleeding nose.

"What the hell is going on?" Ellac asked and Ernak stood up, breathing deeply glaring at his brother on the floor.

"He's too busy fucking other women to be bothered!" he pointed at Dengi. "This is why you were never given the position of governor! You are too irresponsible!"

Ebnedzar whistled. "What a way to start your mother's homecoming."

Ernak's face lit up. "My mother is here? Xena and Gabrielle saved her?"

"Yes, they're outside." He said and Ernak ran out the door to greet his mother. Ebnedzar chuckled at his half brother. "It seems you are blessed by the gods, Dengizich."

Dengi grumbled and grabbed the sheet and flung it over his legs. Ellac frowned down at him and he stood up, wiping the blood from his nose. "I suppose you're going to punch me in the face too?"

"No, I'm not." Ellac says and Ebnedzar couldn't wipe the grin off his face. "I'll let your mother do that. You should clean yourself up. Wouldn't want you to smell of sex and wine when you greet your mother." He turned and walked off. Ebnedzar took one last look at Dengi and laughed then followed his king brother.

* * *

Kreka walked into the foyer holding onto Xena and Gabrielle the entire time. Four days back to Pannonia felt more like four weeks. She couldn't wait to lie down and rest. Her wound was better but it needed stitches desperately. She saw her youngest son running towards her and she smiled.

Xena blocked his way towards his mother. He frowned and he tried to move her out of the way but she kept stepping in every direction he went. "Xena!"

"She's hurt, Ernak," she warned and then took a huge step to the side and he hugged her lightly and kissed her cheeks.

"Mother, are you alright? What happened to you? Where did those bastards take you?" he gripped her shoulders.

" _Tatli cocuk_  please," she begged and he smiled softly.

"Sorry." He kissed her forehead and then embraced Xena to which she stiffened. "Thank you so much, Xena!"

"Get off of me," she growled and he let go of her and then hugged Gabrielle, picking her up off the floor. "Gabrielle did most of the work. She rescued your mother while I…had other obligations."

Gabrielle frowned. "No," she slapped Ernak and he let her down. "You took off by yourself to follow that Sabir queen!"

His eyes darted to the commander. "Sabir? Is that who these people are?" and both women nodded.

Kreka glanced around at the empty foyer. "Where is your brother?"

Ellac walked in with Ebnedzar. "He's getting dressed," he got his word in before Ernak opened his big mouth. He kissed her cheeks. "Glad to have you back," he ran his hand over the top of her head. "So," he looked to his commander and governor. "I hear you found who these people are. Did you happen to find the mysterious woman?"

Gabrielle cocked her up towards her dark haired partner. "I almost had her!" Xena shouted.

"Ellac, we sent a couple of Xena's men back to Pannonia with a Sabir assassin." Gabrielle informed him but he looked very bemused as did his brothers. "They never arrived…did they?"

He shook his head. "Nobody came to the gates, Gabrielle. I would have been notified."

"This is just great." She threw her hands in the air, just as upset as Xena was at this point. "This just keeps getting better and better by the minute!"

Ellac pursed his lips and Ernak clung to his mother and escorted her down the hall to her bedroom. "I…would love to hear about your meeting with these Sabirs."

"Not today. I'm going to the bathhouse. Do not bother me!" Gabrielle stormed off and Xena stood awkwardly with the king and Ebnedzar. The three had never seen the petite blonde so heated before.

"If you need me I'll be with her," Xena grinned. "Don't bother me until tomorrow." She left the foyer and Ellac sighed heavily.

Dengi came out dressed in appropriate clothing and Ebnedzar stifled a laugh. "Oh, look who it is." The shaman brother teased.

"Where is my mother?" he ignored his half brother's rude comment.

"She's in her room with Ernak," Ellac told him and Dengi bowed his head in shame. "I would stay away from him for awhile if I were you. I need you in my chambers to discuss the Banat army and Justinian's invasion."

"What about Ernak?"

"We can have the meeting without him."

* * *

Gabrielle sulked in the hot bath and Xena slipped into the water and dunked her long hair. Gabrielle had her arms folded while glaring at the wall from afar. Xena rose to the surface and came behind the fuming blonde and attempted to massage her shoulders.

"I never thanked you for saving the dragon lady," she smiled and heard Gabrielle breathe out deeply and steadily. She rounded her thumbs along the knots in the blonde's shoulders and neck. "I know you don't approve of my plans sometimes," she tried to make conversation but it was very one sided. "But I like working with you. You're a much better governor than anyone I've seen in the empire."

Gabrielle finally relaxed her tense shoulders. "You really mean that?"

Xena swam around to face the frazzled blonde. "Of course I do. I don't say it often and I probably should." She looks away in embarrassment which caused Gabrielle to smirk. "You're great at your job. I could never do what you do."

"You mean organize meetings and prevent wars from happening?" she playfully says and Xena smiles and sank into the water. "You were always better with a sword than you were with a quill."

"And you're good at both. I wish I could be like you."

"I like you the way you are, Xena. Don't change for anyone,  _especially_  me." She splashed water in the commander's face.

Xena kept the warm smile on her face and Gabrielle blushed, slightly taken aback by the warmth in her eyes. She swam closer and cupped the blonde's cheeks and planted her lips gently on hers. Gabrielle felt Xena's lips turn into a small smile though she did not pull away and instead wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling herself closer to the commander.

She felt a hand graze her ribs and then travel down towards her thigh. Finally, she pulled away and stared into the bright sapphire eyes in front of her and she did not see the furious or wild eyes she was accustomed to seeing but soft and gentle eyes instead. Smiling still, she brushed the long dark wet tresses behind Xena's shoulder and gasped when she felt the long fingers dip in between her legs.

Xena raised her eyebrow and smiled crookedly and Gabrielle held onto her shoulders firmly. "So…" she began breathily.

"Yes?"

"I'm definitely better than any of your other lovers, right?" Gabrielle asked in a teasing manner and Xena's smile widened.

"Gabrielle, you know I've only loved two people in my life."

"And I'm one of those people…right?" she wiggled her eyebrows and Xena swam backwards, slipping her fingers away. She was disappointed that moment stopped and she attempted to swim after her. "Wait, I am, right?"

Xena slipped below the surface of the water and Gabrielle frowned, looking around the pool of hot water and felt a pinch at her thigh.

"Xena!" she yelped and grabbed her thigh and swam away, now a bit scared. She felt another pinch on her taut abdomen and screeched. "Xena, quit it!" she spun around, looking for the lurking commander.

Xena rose from the water behind her partner with a devious grin and dunked her head into the water. Gabrielle's arms flayed around above the surface and Xena pulled her up and wrapped her arm around Gabrielle's waist. The blonde governor coughed up water and heard the brunette laughing at her demise.

"Dammit Xena!"

She leaned in close to Gabrielle and whispered in her ear, "That's what you get for questioning my feelings for you."

"Noted," she coughed up some more water and looked over her shoulder, smiling at the brunette.

"After all of this is over and we find Csaba, I have a surprise for you."

Gabrielle's eyes lit up. "A surprise? What is it?"

Xena clicked her tongue against her cheek and swam to the edge of the bath. "Well it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, now would it?"

"Wait, let me guess," she folds her arms and taps her cheek. "It's definitely not a dress or a new horse. Are you getting me new Sais?"

"I'm not telling you, Gabrielle."

The governor grinned smugly and swam over and hopped into Xena's lap. "Are you throwing me a party?"

" _Really_?" she questioned her with a raised brow.

"You're right. You would never do that." She mutters and wrapped her arms around the tall commander. "Are we taking a vacation?"

Xena scrunched up her face and never thought of that. It was a good idea. "Nope."

"Just tell me what it is."

"No." she pushed her into the water and leaned against the wall, spreading her arms around on the ledge. "You're just going to have to wait and see."

"I'll figure out what it is." Gabrielle wags her finger.

"Good luck."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – _The Women_

So far Kutilzis had been trapped in the White Hun Adame for a week and with each day he grew more and more restless. He was not allowed to leave the Adame per the king's orders so he tried to make the best of it. His mother was rather vague about her plan and did not give him any information but he knew she was relying on him to spy on these Huns for her and he could not and would not let her down.

What he had a hard time wrapping around his head was the amount of Hun queens there were. According to his mother, there was only one Hun queen but since he arrived in Balaam, he counted not one, not two but three queens inside this hellish palace that he loathed. It was difficult for him to hunt around the Adame to listen in on conversations and he noticed one queen in particular really disliked him.

That made him nervous and he tried to avoid her at all costs. Now that he was stuck in this Hun home, he was also surrounded by several women and children. He did not grow up with any children his age and his brothers were much older than him. At the age of eight, his brothers were already beyond their teen years. Now, Kutilzis was fourteen and he really hated all the Hun children.

Every time Handan's boys ran by him he would roll his eyes and try to ignore them. The little girls weren't so terrible but he hardly saw them and when he did, the two girls were with the young queen with long dark hair. She reminded him of a younger version of his own mother, but dare he say, she was far better looking than his mother.

Trying to think of a way out of this place without seeming too suspicious, Kutilzis wandered around the Adame and since he was still considered a child in these Huns' eyes, he was permitted into the women's quarters. Although, he strolled through the chambers and took note of all the women inside, he didn't find much information in there. Instead, he got mean glares from a pale skinned Hun woman with brown hair.

When he grew bored of listening to the women gossip he left that section of the Adame and waltzed through the halls. He didn't understand why there were so many princesses and why there were so many queens. Odd system of hierarchy, he noted.

He heard the two youngest princesses talking together in a hallway and stood outside large red wooden doors. He figured that was the king's chambers so he casually made his way over and the two princesses immediately ceased conversation.

"Good morning ladies," he greeted.

Cera looked up at him and Arielle laced her fingers together, staring at the Sabir teenager. "Our mom said not to talk to you," Cera says.

"Cera!" Arielle hit her arm.

"Really? Why is that? I am a Hun just like you two," he put on a big fake smile and Arielle raised her eyebrow.

"You should go," the elder princess tells him and he eyed the closed doors and heard muttering inside the room.

He pulled out a bag of rahat lokums and smiled at the redheaded princess and tried to entice her with sweets when he realized he wouldn't be able to fool the older princess. "I got these earlier from the kitchen. I had the chef make a batch just for you, princess."

Cera widened her brown eyes and was instantly enchanted by the sweets. Arielle grabbed her arm and pulled her close. Kutilzis frowned at the curly haired girl. She wraps a protective arm around her little sister and he stares intensely at her then smirks.

"She's not allowed to have sweets." Arielle says and Cera quirked her mouth up at her sister.

"Yes I am!"

"Shut up Cera," she whispered.

He smiled and waved the bag of sweets in front of the princess' face. "Alright. I'll be in the foyer if you want some, princess. I'll save these just for  _you_." He walked away whistling and eyed Cera's eyes following him.

He rounded the corner and looped the bag of rahat lokum onto his belt and frowned. He didn't want to be stuck in this place for long and even the princesses were beginning to dislike him just as much as the older women were. He kept walking and rounded another corner, heading towards the foyer and ran into the three Hun queens.

All three of the women stood in a single line, glaring at the teenager. Anastasia stood in the middle of Tuya and Fairuza with all of their arms folded and towering over the supposed Nezak boy. "Going somewhere?" Anastasia was the first to ask.

He grinned nervously at the women. "I was just heading towards the foyer." He backed away slowly.

"Were you?" Tuya asked.

He nodded and then the three women began walking towards him and unfolded their arms. He continued backing up; afraid that was going to be ganged up on by these Hun women. He turned around and was accosted by more Hun women. Leila, Bakkah, Ursula and Handan stood in a line and mean mugged him.

"What…is this?" he chuckles nervously and eyed all seven of the Hun women.

"Grab him." Ordered Anastasia.

Before he had time to react and scram, Leila and Bakkah wrapped a rope around his neck and pulled it tightly. The three queens whipped out their swords hidden behind their backs and pointed them directly at his throat and he stopped squirming and grabbed the rope, trying to loosen it so he could breathe.

While he was distracted by the swords in his face, Ursula and Handan shackled his ankles. He attempted to escape and Leila yanked on the rope about his throat and he croaked. Bakkah shackled his wrists together and Anastasia smiled at the boy.

"Take him to my guest quarters," she said to the other women.

" _Xashak! Do'zaxda yoqish!_ " he yelled and Leila pulled the noose and dragged him down the hallway.

Fairuza lowered her sword and instantly recognized that language. She grabbed Ana's shoulder. "I know where he is from."

"One of your rogue Persian tribes?" Tuya assumed and got a glare from Ana.

"No. He's Sabir. They're a nomadic tribe from Siberia. Merchants used to come into Persia from time to time. They occupied eastern Persia during the winter and went back to Siberia in the spring."

Anastasia frowned and watched as the women pushed Kutilzis into her bedroom. "Interesting. What did he say to me? Can you understand him?"

Fairuza blushed. "I'm not going to repeat those words, Anastasia."

* * *

"Can you give me a hint?" Gabrielle pried.

Xena sighed. "For the last time; no." they both walked up the stairs and into the foyer to go meet with Ellac and the other princes to talk about Queen Boareks. Xena hated political meetings but since she had the most contact with the Sabir woman, she had to be present.

"Oh come on!" Whined Gabrielle. "You never get me any surprises! I can't think of what it could be!"

"That's why I want it to be a surprise, Gabrielle! I want it to be very special for you." She smiled and opened the doors to the king's chambers and her eyes widened. Gabrielle looked inside and observed Ernak yelling at Dengi and Ellac smoking opium out of a three foot water pipe on the floor and Ebnedzar sitting in a chair, watching the chaos unfold.

"What the hell…" Gabrielle stepped in front of Xena. Ernak shoved Dengi into the wall and Ebnedzar covered his mouth with furrowed brows and kept eyeing the brothers. Meanwhile Ellac was completely in a different world, surrounding by clouds of white smoke.

Xena frowned and Ebnedzar met eyes with her and shook his head. "What is going on here?!" she yells, but all the men ignored her. She took the whip off her belt and cracked it against the rug and Ernak flinched and turned around. "Enough!" she silenced the room and Dengi fixed his robes and ran his fingers through his long locks.

Now that she had everyone's attention, minus Ellac's, she coiled the whip back onto her belt. "Why are you acting like a bunch of wild animals?" she turned to Dengi and Ernak.

"He's having an affair!" Ernak pointed at his very guilty brother.

Gabrielle gasped. "Dengizich…"

Xena's mouth parted and she glared at Ernak. "And you think it's okay to beat him up for it?" she questioned and Ernak bowed his head, a bit embarrassed and suddenly felt like he was being scolded like a child. She marched over to the king and ripped the hose out of his mouth and he coughed. "And  _you_! Just what do you think you're doing? Wallowing in self pity and decide to get high this early in the morning?"

Ellac coughed and sat up slowly, staring up at the angry commander. "I'm perfectly…fine." He lamely said and Ebnedzar groaned and sank in the chair, covering his eyes as he couldn't watch the downfall of his brothers anymore.

Gabrielle was disgusted by the behavior from the sons of Attila. "What's the matter with all of you?" she announced to everyone in the room. "Your wives are gone for a couple of months and you turn into mad men." She eyed the sheepish princes by the wall. "Cheating, rage and…" she eyes Ellac, "drugs," she wagged her head. "I'm ashamed of you all."

Xena pursed her lips and looked at the crushed expressions on all of the men's faces. She felt like Gabrielle was doing her job for her and was obviously much better at it because each man felt terrible for their behavior. Another thing the governor is good at, she mused.

She continued, "None of you are fit to look after this empire. I am stripping Ellac's title temporarily and giving it to Ebnedzar."

Ellac gasped and Xena's jaw dropped. "You –you can't do that!" he stood up; swaying from side to side and Xena grabbed his arm so he wouldn't fall on top of her. "I am the king!"

"Not right now you're not." Gabrielle ordered and looked at Ebnedzar who immediately hopped out of the chair.

"You can't do this to me Gabrielle!" Ellac shouted and attempted to approach her but Xena pulled his arm.

"I can and I just did. Governor's discretion, remember? I'm allowed to assign a new temporary ruler if I think the current ruler is unable to fulfill his duties."

Xena smiled and Ellac was speechless. "But what are we supposed to do?" Ernak pleaded.

Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe you could go have sex with some women, pommel someone to death or get high." She took jabs at all three men and Xena snickered under her breath which made Ellac cast a glare at her. "Ebnedzar."

"Yes?" he felt awkward standing in his brother's chambers and all eyes were on him.

"We can have the meeting in my yurt. Let's go." She walked off in a hurry and he quickly followed her.

Xena grinned at all the dumbfounded leftover men. "You're all animals." She hit Dengi on the back of his head. "Especially you!" she turned on her heel and left.

* * *

The commander wrapped her arm around the governor and gave her a side hug. Gabrielle's heart was pounding from earlier and she didn't know she had it in her to stand up to anyone, especially people who she considered her family.

"You were amazing! I've never seen that happen before in my entire life!"

Gabrielle tried to smile and Ebnedzar waited outside the yurt for approval to go inside. "Well, someone had to do something." She tried to defend her decision that she slowly began to regret. "By god." She tousled her hair. "Did I do the right thing?"

"Oh definitely," Xena nodded. "Those boys need to be taught a lesson."

"They're not boys, Xena. They're men now."

She scoffs. "What I just saw back there were a bunch of boys. I didn't see any men. So, let's get on with this meeting shall we?" she for once, was excited to be present in a conference.

"What would the last governor have done in this situation?"

"Betray his people and become Emperor of Rome," Xena smirked and Gabrielle's face paled.

"Odoacer was the last governor?!"

"It obviously didn't work out." The commander shrugs that memory off. "Speaking of that worm, we should tell him about Queen Boareks. Are we going to have this meeting or what?" she entered her yurt and Ebnedzar waited patiently for the governor to follow.

Ebnedzar did his best to reiterate everything that he, Dengi and Ellac talked about in their last meeting concerning Justinian's invasion into Banat. He mentioned that Czarina Rabia and General Balasz came by and expressed their concern over Farah but it mainly Rabia that did most of the talking. She also did not fail to mention that her father was very ill and General Balasz seemed to be in control of the entire region.

"Ellac suggested that we station troops at the border of Banat in case they decide they want our help," he explained and Gabrielle gazed at him with a blank face. He continues, "And that Czar Danut should send scouts to find Csaba and Farah instead of sending our own…"

Xena thought that was more than fair and that meeting wasn't a total waste perhaps. She waited for Gabrielle to respond but instead all three of them sat in silence. She nudged her arm and Gabrielle wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"The Czar is…too stubborn to admit he needs help but we will do as Ellac suggested and line Banat's border with our men," she said and Ebnedzar nodded, taking mental notes. "But…he's expecting us to send scouts to find his daughter. He won't agree to send his own men."

"If he cares about his daughter then he should do anything to get her back," Xena said.

Gabrielle agreed. "Yes but Csaba is the one who took her. It's our responsibility to find her and we failed the first time.

"I did not fail," Xena felt insulted that her partner would use such a word.

Ebnedzar sensed a fight brewing and interrupted. "What if I send my men to find them? They're very skilled hunters and aren't afraid to go into uncharted territories."

The two authoritative figures stared into each other's eyes for a good while and Gabrielle replied without taking her eyes off of Xena. "Sounds like a good idea. What do you think, Xena?"

"Fine by me." The commander turned her cheek and folded her arms.

He smiled nervously and felt the tension from the two women across the rug. "So, onto the discussion about this Boareks woman?"

* * *

King Theodoric sat in his chair inside of his tent listening to the Sabir Queen rant and yell about how she was chased by a Hun queen through the Visigoth forest for the last half hour. He held up his hand to stop her yelling and she slammed her palms on the desk.

"Hun queen? I thought you only kidnapped Kreka?"

She raised her eyebrow. "Another queen was chasing me!"

He began laughing and the queen's sons, Balmaq and Iliger held onto the hilts of their swords and the more the Goth king belched out his gut laughter the angrier Boareks became. "That was no Hun queen!" he waved his hand. "That was Xena!"

Boareks glanced back at her sons and turned back to the amused Goth king. "Who is this 'Xena'?"

He almost started laughing again until he realized she was very serious about her question. He adjusted the tight collar around his neck and crossed a leg over the other. "She's the Hun Commander," he said and she frowned. "You don't know her?" her puzzled expression said it all. "She's famous. She's been the commander for thirty years. I've had many encounters with her."

Balmaq intruded in their conversation, "that Hun queen did mention a female commander to us, mother."

Boareks stood and drummed her fingers on the table. "But she was wearing a queen's headdress."

Theodoric snickered. "She was probably trying to trick you." The more he worked with this woman the more he came to the realization that these people were so disconnected from the rest of the world and knew nothing of their enemy that they were supposed to exterminate, according to Justinian's orders.

She did not like to be tricked and she scraped her fingernails on the table and Theodoric cringed at the sharp sound. "And this Kreka woman. Who is she?"

"She is the former wife of Attila. I've known her for a long time."

She nods and sits down to conduct a more proper meeting with her ally. "And she is a queen. She mentioned there are several queens. I was after a much younger queen but my idiot sons brought her instead."

He rubbed his chin and smiled. "You must be talking about Anastasia."

She smiles with him. "Is that her name?"

"She is Xena's daughter. She looks very similar to Xena minus the fringed bangs. You can't miss her. I have not seen her in quite some time but I hear she had her third child a few years ago."

Boareks took all this information in as did her sons. "I see. Those Hun women reproduce like rabbits." She folds her arms on the table and becomes more amenable to the Goth king. "Do tell me the names of these other queens, Goth king."

"Well," he ponders for a moment and her patience was wearing thin. "There's Anastasia, Kreka, Tuya and I believe the White Hun king married a Persian woman a few years ago." He looks to the ceiling. "Ah yes, Fairuza."

She found this information very intriguing to her and knew that the White King lived in Balaam and that's where she sent her son. "And these queens, where do they live?"

"Fairuza and Tuya live in Balaam. The Caucasus region I told you about."

"I see," she nodded slowly.

Theodoric got the feeling that this woman was out to kill every single queen there was and he wasn't sure if that was a good idea. He did not like the Huns but he did not wish them to become extinct like the Romans did. He did have a rocky relationship with the Huns over the years but he did work with them a couple of times when they were both in need.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation. I will be on my way now." She got up and waved her hands at her sons and they quickly left the tent.

He stood from his chair and frowned at the Sabir woman. "Where are you going?"

"That is none of your business, Goth king."

* * *

Xena lay on the floor, drinking her wine and looking over a large map. She wrote down some notes on the possible location of the Sabir people. She was surprised that her men did not return to Pannonia with the Sabir assassin, which meant they were laying dead somewhere and the assassin escaped. After the meeting with Ebnedzar, Gabrielle remained very quiet and hardly touched her wine and food.

"Are you alright?" she looks at her distraught blonde governor.

Gabrielle looked down at the wine and swished it around but did not bother to drink it. The thought of drinking wine did not entice her one bit. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Xena sat up and pushed the map aside. "Something is bothering you. You can tell me."

"Well," she started to explain herself and looked at Xena staring at her intently. "Never mind."

"Come on, Gabrielle. I can be a good listener." She smiled and crossed her legs in front of her and leaned against the end of their bed. "Are you still upset about taking Ellac's power away?" she asked and Gabrielle frowned sadly. "You had every right to strip him of his kingly rights. He isn't acting like himself and neither are his brothers. Although, now you've given all the power to Ebnedzar," she sipped her wine and thought what a horrible idea that was.

The governor folded her arms and gazed at the large map. "It's just that I don't know if I did the right thing. And Ebnedzar was supposed to be governor instead of me."

"He didn't want the position. Why are you upset about that?"

"And then Ellac was going to give the position to Dengi and he gave it to me instead. I'm not even a member of his family."

Xena tapped her fingers on the glass and cast a dubious glance at the distraught governor. "Yes you are, Gabrielle. You've known Ellac since he was fifteen years old. You are a part of his family, a part of  _my_  family, just like anyone else here. He wouldn't have given you the role as governor if he didn't trust your judgment." There was some relief in those emerald eyes but it wasn't enough. "I'm not even a Hun."

Gabrielle rolls her eyes and smirks. "Yes you are, Xena. You've been here so long that you are no longer allowed to call yourself a Thracian."

"Then how is that any different than abandoning your heritage?" she snapped back and the blonde scowled, hating to admit the commander was right. "See? You're one of us. If Odoacer can denounce his Hun heritage and become a Roman then you can become a Hun." She snickered.

She touched her short blonde hair and chuckled. "Maybe I should dye my hair black so I can fit in with everyone else."

"Don't change yourself. I like you the way you are," Xena winked and Gabrielle had a taste of her own medicine. She grabbed the map and pointed at Siberia. "Now, let's get back to business here. Boareks couldn't possibly move her entire tribe to Visigoth territory."

Gabrielle rubbed her chin and glanced at Goth land upon the map. "I think the bigger question is, why is she allies with Theodoric? He doesn't like to ally with anyone."

"He could be desperate for money. He wasn't even able to make it into Pannonia four years ago when he wanted to invade us. We pushed his army back easily which maybe twenty years ago, that would be have been very difficult."

"And he let me and Kreka leave without hesitation. I thought he was going to detain us but he didn't."

Xena knew something was very off about that when she heard it before. "He must be having second thoughts allying with the Sabirs. They don't seem to have much value. They aren't very wealthy; at least I don't think they are…"

Gabrielle sat still for a few moments and twiddled her thumbs back and forth in her lap. "I know you don't like this idea but…" she began and Xena already had a hideous expression on her face. "We should talk to Odoacer about this."

"You know, when I said that I was being facetious…" she grumbled.

"But he is technically our ally now and he hasn't caused any trouble yet. Maybe he could help us?"

"I don't trust Romans."

"Neither do I and I used to be his consul. I know how he thinks and so do you. You actually lived with him under Attila's reign. He could be…useful…to us," she smiles and Xena groans deeply.

Xena knew that she wasn't going to win in this argument and if she started up with her argument about Romans she would never be able to sleep next to Gabrielle again. "Is he still in Dalmatia?" she finally relented.

"I think so. We would have been notified if he left. We could leave tomorrow and meet with him but let me do the talking."

"By all means," Xena waved her hand and finished off the wine.

"I mean it, Xena. I don't want your smart mouth anywhere near him."

"I got it."

"I'm serious."

"Okay!"

* * *

Queen Boareks rode into Balaam and convinced the guards at the gates that she had a message from Xena that she had to deliver to the queen inside. They let her inside without any problems and she dismounted her horse in front of the large Adame. She frowned and looked around at all the Hun people roaming around the frigid mountainous land.

The only perk of her looking like a Hun was that she could easily bypass the soldiers here. She smiled falsely at the people passing by her and walked up the stairs. Cera sat on the top of the stairs in her fur cloak and magenta veil, covering her auburn hair.

Boareks raised her eyebrow at the child and Cera sat up, looking beneath the queen's black hood. "Hello," she greeted and the Sabir queen lifted the hood off and Cera studied her face carefully and quirked her mouth bemusedly. "Can I help you?"

The Sabir smirked at the little girl and looked over her head at the foyer inside. "I have a message from the commander. It's very important."

Cera's big brown eyes lit up and she smiled from ear to ear at the mention of her grandmother. "Really? Did she come with you?" she scanned the fields and then looked up at the dark haired woman. "I never saw you in Pannonia before."

Boareks forced a smile and she was so close to walking into the Adame but this child was in her way. "I'm from the Akitziri tribe," she says and Cera smiled, nodding her head, recognizing the name. "I really need to deliver this message to the queen."

"Which one?" Cera asked innocently and the queen's eyes widen with delight to hear that.

"Why don't you take me to the most important queen here?" she suggests and Cera nods and grabs her hand and leads her inside the Adame.

* * *

Anastasia slapped Kutilzis across the face and he remained vigilant not to give away any information about his people and mother for the last few days. He was locked in this room while he was interrogated by Anastasia and the other queens.

"I know you are Sabir, boy. Tell me what you are doing here."

Silence.

Tuya shook her head. "This boy isn't going to talk, Anastasia. He has been silent for three days."

"Oh I'll make him talk." She walked over to the table filled with an assortment of weapons and picked up a whip and smiled. "Alright boy," she paddled the handle of the whip on her palm and he moaned lightly. "It doesn't have to be like this. You simply tell me what you are doing in Balaam and I will consider letting you go."

" _Mommy_!" Cera yelled from outside the room and knocked on the door.

Tuya's eyes darted to the door and Anastasia frowned. "Mommy's busy!"

"But this lady has a message from grandma!"

Tuya frowned. "A lady?" she whispered.

"Open the door," Anastasia grabbed her sword and Tuya unlocked the door and slowly opened it and saw Cera's beaming face and an unfamiliar woman standing behind her dressed in black robes. Queen Boareks smiled at the queen mother and then saw her son strapped to a chair and she pulled out her sword and wrapped her hand around Cera's mouth and held the sword to the girl's throat.

Anastasia's eyes widened and Kutilzis yelled, "Mother, get out of here!"

"Mother?" Ana frowned and pointed her sword at the Sabir queen and eyed Cera's terrified face. "Let her go."

Tuya pulled out her own sword and Boareks eyed her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Hun queen." She pressed the blade against the princess' throat and Cera's muffled screams alarmed both queens in the room. Tuya backed away but held the sword firmly. Boareks eyed Anastasia and smiled. "Your daughter has been most helpful. And what a precious child she is."

"Give her to me," Ana stepped forward and the Sabir woman pressed the blade into Cera's throat.

"Hand over my son first and I will release her."

Anastasia's hands shook and she watched as her daughter wept and tears streamed down her cheeks. She frowned sadly and lowered the blade and waved her hand at Tuya. "Release the boy," she said and Tuya cautiously walked over to Kutilzis and took the shackles off his ankles and wrists and untied the rope about his chest and waist to which strapped him to the chair.

He growled and pushed her aside and Tuya did not retaliate but instead took a generous step backward. He ruffled his collar and sauntered over to his mother. Anastasia eyed her daughter and breathed in and out heavily, ready to pommel the Sabir woman.

"You have your son. Now let her go."

Boareks tells her son, "My horse is outside. Wait for me. I won't be long." He nods and runs out of the room and she smiled at the Hun queens. "I had quite the encounter with your mother. She is an excellent horseman."

"Give me my daughter before I –"

"Before what?!" she hissed and Cera screamed when she felt the blade cutting into her skin. "Do not threaten me, Hun queen. You cannot hide from me. I will destroy your entire family and all of the tribes in your empire. Two down, four to go." She smirked and Cera stomped on the woman's boot and Boareks snarled and slit the corner of Cera's throat and collar bone and Anastasia gasped. Cera fell onto the floor and wrapped a hand on her throat.

The Sabir queen quickly ran out of the room and Tuya followed her, yelling at the soldiers inside the Adame to follow her.

Anastasia leaned over her daughter and applied pressure to the wound. Cera gasped for air and her brown eyes looked up at her mother in horror. Blood poured onto the floor and stained the princess' fur cloak and dress beneath. She ripped off a portion of Cera's dress and wrapped it round the bleeding neck wound which did little to stop the bleeding.

"Don't worry  _tatli_   _kiz_ ," she smiled and cupped her daughter's cheek.

Fairuza rushed into the room after Tuya briefly told her what happened. She looked in horror as blood stained the rug and Anastasia lifted her teary eyes. She ran over and dropped to her knees, gazing at Cera staring up at both of them, unable to speak. Anastasia looked at the queen but was too horrified to ask for help. Fairuza picked up Cera in her arms and Ana stood up, keeping her hand firmly pressed on the wound.

Together they walked down the hallway and all of the children ran over trying to look at the small princess. Arielle looked into her stepmother's arms and gasped. "What happened to Cera? Why is there blood? Who did this to her?"

"Arielle, go to your room and don't come out until I say so," Fairuza said and Anastasia was too fixated on Cera to answer her elder daughter. "Go!" she hissed and Arielle backed away and trailed down the opposite hallway.

* * *

Fairuza placed Cera on her bed inside her room and many maids and servants came rushing forward to help the princess. The bed was swarmed with medics and servants and Fairuza stepped out of their way and grabbed Anastasia to pull her away.

"Anastasia," she tried to pull the queen away and she wrapped her arm around her chest and began dragging her off. "Anastasia! You can't stay here!"

"But she's my daughter!" she pushed Fairuza into the wall and leered over the heads of the several servants and Cera's wide eyes looked at her and she clenched the sheets. One of the servants took a needle out of the bag and Ana's eyes filled with tears.

Tuya walked in and helped Fairuza off the floor and eyed the frantic Pannonian queen. She made sure Fairuza was alright and then cautiously approached Anastasia. She placed a hand on her shoulder and Anastasia whipped her head around and glared at her.

"Anastasia, we need to send someone to Pannonia to warn them about this woman."

"But I…but," she gazed at her helpless daughter and kept seeing blood seep out.

"I can watch her for you. You don't need to be in here right now. We need to decide who will go to Pannonia."

Fairuza adjusted her crown and fixed her dress. "I will go."

"Are you sure, Fairuza? The journey to Pannonia is long."

Anastasia wiped her cheeks and her eyes that mirrored her mother's turned a fiery bright azure. "Where is that woman?"

Tuya eyed her daughter in law nervously and Anastasia clenched her fists. "She's long gone by now Anastasia…"

"I'm going after her." She stormed to the doors and Tuya blocked her way. "Get out of my way."

"You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay here!" she yelled and then was socked in the nose by the queen and Fairuza slapped a hand over her mouth. Anastasia threw the queen mother out of the way and swung open the doors. Tuya cupped her broken nose and blood trickled down her arms.

Fairuza ran after the irate queen and snatched a lance from one of the guards posted outside the room. "Anastasia!" she growled and the queen turned around and Fairuza whacked her in the face with the dull end of the lance and Anastasia fell onto her back. She climbed onto Anastasia and tried to talk some sense into her. "Your anger solves nothing!"

Navaz walked into the hall after he was gone for a few days scouting old Gokturk territory and saw his wife fighting with his ex-wife on the floor, pulling each other's hair and shouting. "What the fuck." He ran over and pulled Fairuza off of Anastasia. "What is going on?!" he shouts and Anastasia jumps up and blew some of her hair out of her face.

"Navaz! You can let her leave!" the redheaded queen pleads. "Let go of me!" she says and he immediately lets go before he was about to get socked in the face.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

* * *

Odoacer spat out the seeds of a cluster of grapes which he consumed. "I'd love to help you ladies out but I know nothing of this Queen Boareks." He smiles and lounges in his chair.

Xena rolled her eyes and Gabrielle wiped a couple of seeds off her pants and eyed the emperor. "Well if you're not allies with her then maybe Justinian is?" she asks and Xena tapped her fingers on her knees impatiently. She was quite surprised that Xena was able to keep her mouth shut for the last fifteen minutes or so but she knew it wasn't going to last.

He licked his fingers and adjusted in his seat. "It's a possibility. Although I don't see why he would want to ally with another society that looks, acts, and thinks like the Hun people." He chortled. "This queen sounds very impressive! She is like a younger version of you, Xena." He cast a wink and she groaned. "Perhaps if you didn't bear a child you would have been just like her, hm?"

Gabrielle grabbed Xena's hand that was inching towards the blade at her hip. "Queen Boareks has two sons," she recalled what Kreka was able to tell her while she was in the Sabir's custody. "They're about the same age as Ellac and Dengizich."

He laughs aloud. "Of course! You women can't keep your legs closed even if you were threatened!"

"You sick son of a –" Xena stood up and his eyes widened with glee, almost as if he wanted to get slashed by her blade. Gabrielle stood up and squeezed Xena's shoulder.

"Thank you for your time, Odoacer."

He shrugged. "No problem, Gabrielle. You know how much I adore seeing your face. You should stop by more often. We could talk like we used to, remember?"

The governor smiled awkwardly and escorted, or rather pushed, Xena out of the tent. "We'll get back to you once we find out more information." She grabbed her satchel and hurried out.

"You should have let me have him, Gabrielle." Xena twitched her fingers while trying to keep her temper at bay.

Gabrielle cocked her head and rests a hand on her hip. "I know how much you hate him Xena but we aren't here to start fights. He only says those things to get a rise out of you and it works every time!" she punched her brunette partner in the shoulder.

"Oh Xena!" he called out from his tent and she turned. "I hear your grandson found a gorgeous woman to deflower. I must say, stealing the Czarina of Banat is a nice touch. Classic Hun move."

She snarled and walked over to the pompous Roman emperor and stood eye to eye with him. "What do you know about Csaba?"

"No more than you do. Word travels quickly when a Hun prince kidnaps a very important girl. Best of luck in finding him."

"Xena, we need to go." Gabrielle called.

It was so easy to kill him right here right now but that voice from behind her brought her back to reality. She looked into Odoacer's deceitful toying eyes and ascended up the hill. Gabrielle waved at the emperor and hopped onto her horse, trailing beside the commander.

Minutes later they crossed the border and rode into Pannonia. Xena steered her horse and looked over the hill at the cocky emperor who was still gazing up at her with that smile of his –a smile that she could wipe off his face with an instant swing of her sword.

"That was uneventful and almost ended in bloodshed," Gabrielle wiped her sweaty brow.

"Why did he mention Csaba?"

"Who cares? He's just trying to get under your skin."

"Or he knows something."

Gabrielle grumbled and trotted through the forest in outer Pannonia. "Xena, he doesn't know a horse's ass from its mouth. He doesn't know anything about Csaba and Farah. I'm sure the entire nation knows what happened by now. He's just listening to gossip from his soldiers."

She took a piece of paper and began writing some notes down from their failed meeting with the emperor today. "If Justinian is allies with Theodoric and Boareks then we are in serious trouble."

"Why don't we just go in and set her camp on fire? We know where she is."

Gabrielle frowned and looked at her partner with a deadpanned face. "We will wait for her to come to us. We aren't going to raid her camp and incite Theodoric. We don't need an army of Visigoths at our doorstep." She licked the tip of her quill. "Our troops should be at Banat's borders by now. When we get back we'll talk to Ebnedzar about our meeting."

"This is ridiculous! I say we should go back to Goth territory and obliterate her camp!"

"Xena, no! We aren't going to do that! I get that you are fueled by your rage right now and you want a piece of Boareks but we aren't ransacking Visigoth land!"

"If Attila were alive he would have no problem with me raiding her camp."

Gabrielle's heart thumped and she jabbed her quill in Xena's side. "Attila isn't here! He's dead! I'm in charge and you're not! I say we stay here and that's final!"

"Who died and made you queen?" Xena muttered and trotted in front of the furious governor.

"Nobody's dead yet!"

"And when someone does die, I'm going to set her entire camp on fire. And don't try and stop me."

* * *

Kreka sat up in her bed and glared at her son as he explained what happened with this young woman, Azra, when Ernak caught him in bed with her. She licked her dry lips and sighed deeply. Dengi stood at the end of the bed with a defeated look on his face. He didn't want to upset his mother but thought it'd be better if she heard it directly from him instead of his brothers.

Out of all her sons she would have thought Ernak would have gone this route and followed in his father's footsteps and gathering several women or wives. She did not expect it to come from Dengi. Even though Ellac was not her blood son, she also thought at one point that he would have other wives besides Anastasia but that thought had long been executed from her mind.

"How many times did you sleep with her?" she asks calmly.

"A few times."

She lifts a brow in disbelief. "How many times is 'a few'? Two times? Three?" she asks and he bows his head. " _Four_?" she hates to continue counting and he couldn't even look at her. "Dengizich! How could you do this to Leila? She is your wife! And she's not even here to defend herself! What are you going to say to her when she comes home?"

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"She has every right to divorce you, Dengi"

His eyes widened. "No I don't want her to do that. I love Leila."

"Do you? Then why are you sleeping with another woman behind her back?"

"Because she won't even look at me anymore! She won't come to bed and she won't even let me kiss her!"

Kreka felt a sour taste in her mouth listening to her son's intimate life and perhaps this was not her realm to be discussing this with him. She wished someone else would do this. She wished Attila were here to talk to him about this but alas he was not.

She awkwardly fixed the sheets and flipped a lock of hair behind her shoulder. "Well, perhaps you should talk to her."

"I tried, mother. She is still upset that Giselle died. She is afraid that if she has another child that the same thing will happen. I can't convince her otherwise."

Xena and Gabrielle opened the doors to the queen's bedroom and Dengi growled, hating to be interrupted.

"Fuck off Ernak," he growled.

Gabrielle raised her eyebrow and Xena cocked her head at Kreka in the bed. "I'd sure hate to be Ernak right about now," Xena said and all the color from the prince's face drained.

He spun around with pleading eyes. "Xena, I'm sorry. I thought –"

"Save it." She waltzed right in without being announced and stood beside Kreka. "You're needed outside. You're the only queen here and your presence is needed."

Kreka swung her legs out of the bed and threw on a long black robe and eyed her son. "This conversation isn't over," she warned him and he sighed. She grabbed a walking staff and walked with Xena towards the exit. "Who is outside?"

"Czarina Rabia."

"Oh joy."

* * *

Ernak and Ellac waited patiently for Kreka to arrive and the two stood awkwardly in the foyer with Rabia, General Balasz and Commander Pascal. Ernak couldn't take his eyes off of the young commander and Pascal caught his obstinate gaze. The Szekely man looked no older than Csaba and he had long light brown hair and dark brown eyes that complimented his pale skinned long face.

The prince nudged his brother. "Farah was going to marry  _him_?" he whispered.

"Ernak be quiet." Ellac said and smiled at the Banats.

"Maybe it is a blessing that Csaba took her. He looks like a huge asshole!" he chuckled and Ellac stomped on his foot. "God dammit!" he hissed.

Kreka finally walked into the foyer and Czarina Rabia frowned at the queen mother. "Czarina," she greets with a cold tone. "What brings you here?"

"My father wishes for me and my husband and commander Pascal to stay in Pannonia. He does not wish me any harm while Justinian's army invades my land."

"Oh hell no!" Ernak shouted and got a mean glare from his mother.

"I thought your father didn't want anything to do with us?" Xena alleged.

Rabia's upper lip quivered and briefly eyed the commander and turned back to the khatun. "These are my father's orders. I have no right to question him."

Kreka sighed and looked at Gabrielle for help and she shook her head. "Well, I suppose you can stay in the guest quarters," she said to the three Banats. "My son will escort you."

Ernak gasped. " _Me_?" he pointed to himself and his mother's eyes widened. "Right of course. This way." He led the way and Balasz followed with Pascal trailing behind and Rabia eyed everyone and followed everyone else.

"Maybe the Czar has finally come to his senses," says Gabrielle.

"Yeah right." Xena chortled. "He probably sent his daughter to spy on us. She was expecting Anastasia to be here."

"She's not going to try anything as long as I am here." Kreka said and walked off slowly back to her room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Without giving too much away:**

**Queen Boareks allied with Justinian after her husband died and he employed her as one of his mercenaries to kill off all the Hun tribes. The Sabirs were often confused for Huns due to their similar appearance, similar language and religion. They are skilled mercenaries and thrive with ballistic machinery in war.**

**Csaba and Farah's connection in China is not random. It is also connected to Queen Boareks as well as the Gokturks that are briefly mentioned throughout the story. Stay tuned for that disaster lol.**

Chapter 13

Kutilzis sat inside his mother's tent while she tended to his wounds on his back and face. His elder brothers sat on the floor snickering and whispering under their breaths. He had a feeling that they were talking about him because of their smug grins and wily eyes. She brought a cloth to his wounded lip that stung horribly and he winced.

" _Chaqaloq_ ," Balmaq whispered to his brother and Kutilzis glared at his amused brothers.

Queen Boareks turned around and threw a knife at her sons and they ducked their heads, just barely missing the tops of their scalps. Iliger's eyes grew in fear and he looked back at the knife in one of his mother's shelves in the tent.

"Get out," she ordered. Kutilzis smiled at his brothers exiting the tent. She grabbed his face and cleaned the cut on his lip and he tries to sway her away. "Did that queen do this to you?" she asks and he nods slowly. "The one with the dark hair?"

He grabbed his mother's wrist. "They all have dark hair mother, except for one of the queens. She has red hair."

She raised her eyebrow and slapped his hand so she could finish dressing the cuts on his cheeks and lip. "Red hair you said?" she mentions again and he says nothing in return. "What is her name?"

"Fairuza. She is the king's wife."

"And the older queen. Who is she?"

He frowned and didn't really like being interrogated and treated for such minor wounds by his mother of all people. "Her name is Tuya." He paused. "I thought you said there was only one Hun queen. There are four of them," he counted Kreka as well in the group. "There are a lot of princesses too."

Her dark eyes lightened. "Oh really? Who are these princesses?" the memory of the sweet redheaded child came to mind.

"I am not sure who they are. I didn't talk to them much but they attacked me! That queen ordered it!"

"Queen Anastasia?" she says her name and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"How do you know her name?"

She smirks and dabs the cloth on his sore bruised cheek. "I have my ways. The Goth king is very useful to me. I promise she won't hurt you again,  _shirin bola_." She cupped his cheeks and he smiled. She then gripped his throat and leaned him back in the chair. "But if you ever reveal who I am to anyone again I will break the legs on which you stand. Do you understand?"

"Y…es," he choked out.

She released him and he coughed then rubbed his throat. "Rest here. I have to run an errand," she paddled his cheek and left her tent.

Balmaq and Iliger stood in the field arguing with each other and Boareks appeared behind them and they turned around, silent as mice. She puts on her leather gloves and looks at her adult sons. "I want you to move the camp to a different location. That commander knows where I am. I don't want her to find us."

"Yes mother," Balmaq answers.

"And watch Kutilzis. I have something I need to take care of." She stormed in between them and one of the soldiers handed her the large horse's reins.

Iliger scowls at the tent. "You want us to babysit him?"

"He is your brother and unlike you two, he provided me with useful information." She threw the cloak hood over her head. "Move the camp and if I come back and find Kutilzis harmed I will make sure that you will not be in the field any longer." She steered the horse and rode off with her guards following her.

Iliger crossed his arms and Balmaq shook his head, eyeing his mother's tent which housed their little brother. "She likes him better than us," the younger brother noted. "She's always favored him over us, brother. What does he have that we don't?"

"Well he's certainly smarter than you," Balmaq shoved a rope in his chest. "Round up the horses. We have to do as she says and move this camp before she returns."

* * *

Gabrielle stood in front of Ebnedzar inside the king's chambers and looked around at how empty it was. She was so accustomed to talking with Ellac that it was very awkward to be talking to a son that Attila never knew or claimed as his own. The thought of stripping Ellac's power and giving it to his illegitimate brother weighed heavily on her but Xena convinced her it was the right thing to do until Ellac and his brothers proved they could rule the empire in a reasonable manner.

"I just got word that Odoacer has left Dalmatia. He's going back to Rome." She tells him.

Ebnedzar swayed on his heels and looks at her anxiously. "And…what am I supposed to do about that?"

She frowned. "Nothing. I'm just telling you that he's going back to Rome."

He was very clueless on how to rule an entire nation and simply smiled nervously at the governor. "Anything else?"

She inhales deeply and braces herself to become the most patient she has ever had to be in her entire life. "Have you sent your men to find Csaba and Farah?"

This time he actually knew everything there was when it came to his men. "Yes. They left last night. I told them do not bother coming back until they find them."

"Good." That was perhaps the only good thing she had heard in weeks. "And what about the soldiers at the Banat border?"

"Done."

She nods. "And?"

He cocked his head. "And what else?"

"You don't have a job for Xena to do? Like, scout Pannonia or man the borders at Banat in case Justinian decides to attack us?"

He grins. "Oh. Well, she told me that she is occupied with something else. I went ahead and sent Dengi to the borders."

"You what?!" she screeched and he flinched. She took in a deep breath and reminded herself that Ebnedzar had no idea how to be a king and this is when she regretted everything. "Okay, that's fine. What exactly…is Xena  _occupied_  with?"

He pointed to the doors, gesturing to the field. "She's training the recruits. She wants to use them as bait for Queen Boareks."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and knew that woman was going to be the first person to give her grey hairs. There was nothing she could do to stop Xena at this point. Even though her position was higher than Xena's, she sometimes felt undermined by her. She tried not to let that bother her and continue doing her job which was becoming very tiresome for her over the last couple of months, especially these last couple of weeks with Ellac dethroned temporarily.

"Thank you…now if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to a certain someone…" she mumbled and left the throne room which Ebnedzar was glad that meeting was over for the day and now he could do something else with his time instead of listening to Romans and Banats.

* * *

Gabrielle quickly made her way down the hallway and hoped to give Xena a piece of her mind. She saw the Czarina out of the corner of her eye and didn't want to talk to the woman and kept her eyes forward, heading outside.

"White woman!" Rabia waved her down and Gabrielle groaned and stopped a few feet away from the exit.

"Yes?" she answered politely.

"Where is Kreka? I must speak to her."

"Her name is Kreka Khatun and she's in her bedroom." She turned and walked down the stairs outside but the insistent woman followed her.

"I need to talk to her! It's very important!"

Gabrielle halted and spun around, glaring at the Czarina. "If you want to speak with her you need to address the king for that. I'm not in charge of that and even if you do request to speak to her I doubt she will talk to you."

The Czarina gasped. "She has done nothing but lay waste in her room since I arrived. Has she nothing better to do?"

"She is injured, Czarina. I don't have time to talk to you. I have to go meet with Xena. Have a nice day." She smiled tersely and continued down the stairs. She had her eyes focused on the commander running the recruits around the entire outer rim of the encampment and then Fairuza galloped in with General Zolten. "What now…" she mutters and walks over to meet with the redheaded queen.

"Gabrielle!" the queen hops off her horse and runs to the governor. "Something horrible has happened. A Sabir woman and her son came into Balaam."

"Queen Boareks was in Balaam?" Gabrielle couldn't believe her ears.

Fairuza frowned. "You know her name?"

"Yes. It's a long story. What happened? What did she do?"

The queen gripped Gabrielle's arms. "She slit Cera's throat and then escaped with her son. I left right away to warn you all."

Gabrielle wrapped an arm around her stomach and felt uneasy hearing that woman would harm an innocent child. Her eyes followed Xena galloping on her horse, waving her sword at the recruits and she didn't want to be the one to tell her about the princess.

"Is Cera alright?"

"I'm not sure. I left before I could find anything out." She sadly admitted. Her eyes drifted to Rabia who stood at the top of the staircase. "Why is the Czarina of Banat here?"

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "I'll explain later. You should go to Kreka's room and tell her what happened. Wait for me while I get Xena…"

* * *

Kreka sat in her bed and listened to Fairuza explain everything she knew about the invasion of Boareks and her son. Xena sat in a chair beside the bed while Gabrielle stood behind her. The room was eerily quiet and Kreka wasn't exactly sure what to say and Xena's silence was very disturbing to say the least.

"So, Boareks' son pretended to be a Nezak Hun?" the khatun asked and Fairuza nodded. "He had long dark hair in a ponytail right?" she described Balmaq, presumed to be the eldest of the Sabir woman's sons.

"No, he was a child. He was younger than Csaba."

Gabrielle looked at the queen mother confusedly. "How many sons does this woman have?" she says and Fairuza frowned at them both.

"You were taken by her sons, Kreka, right?" Fairuza asked and the khatun narrows her eyes. "She left Balaam in a hurry."

"Did anyone else get hurt?" Xena finally said something.

Fairuza froze and she bowed her head. "No, just Cera. Anastasia was interrogating the boy and tortured him for a few days but he was resilient. She couldn't get any information out of him. Who is this woman? Is she behind the Khazar extinction?"

"She's behind everything around here!" Xena stood and paced around anxiously. "Everyone should come back to Pannonia. Now that Boareks knows where Anastasia is she's going to attack Balaam."

"I can go back and tell everyone to leave."

"No!" she shouts and the queen jumps. "You are staying here! She will kill you too! Do not underestimate her. She has highly skilled assassins and you're as much of a target as Anastasia is." She stopped pacing and looked at the wide eyes surrounding her. "I will send a message by falcon."

Fairuza nodded and thought that was a good idea. "Did you receive our message about the Nezaks?"

"What message?" Gabrielle asks.

The queen fumbled in her speech, "um…the Nezaks were attacked by the Chinese." And it suddenly dawned on her. "And that explains why Boareks sent her son to Balaam…" she sighs. "She must have intercepted the message and it never arrived here."

Xena groaned and knocked over the chair and Gabrielle took a step back before she was throttled by the flying chair. "Why is she so good at this?!" she shouts. "She's always one step ahead of me."

"One step ahead of  _us_ , Xena." Kreka corrects.

"No! I had her! I chased her through those woods! I could have killed her but she got away and now she is going to stop at nothing to get rid of us!" she grabbed her sword and headdress and stormed off.

"Where are you going?!" Gabrielle chased after her.

"I'm going to burn down her camp like I said."

"Now wait just a minute," Gabrielle grabbed her arm. "You can't do that."

"Try and stop me, Gabrielle. I'm tired of her one-upping me. I'm taking the recruits and burning that camp down and everyone in it." She snatched her arm away and donned her headdress and stormed down the hall, shoving one the guards into a wall.

* * *

Over the last few weeks staying in China, Csaba was busy tending to Emperor Liu's orders. He was grateful that his grandmother taught him well on the training field because he was able to train Liu's men with ease. He was more than surprised than the Chinese emperor gave him the role as General so quickly but of course with any position, one had to prove oneself in order to keep it. Csaba tried his best to please the emperor and Liu's expectations of the Hun prince were exceeded.

He knew that he made the correct decision employing the Hun prince to lead his men. While Csaba was stuck with the emperor all day, every day, Farah remained in the east wing of the imperial palace. She was not allowed to come out of those quarters unless she was summoned. She did not seem to mind for the first couple of weeks but lately, she grew bored staying inside the palace all day.

It reminded her of being back home in Banat with her controlling sister and father. She wondered what life would have been like if her mother were still alive. Perhaps her father wouldn't have become so ill and so strict with her and Rabia as they grew older. Farah didn't remember much about her mother because she died when Farah and her sister were very young. Rabia was at least ten years old than her and she knew that her sister claimed their mother's role after she passed.

She didn't hate her sister but she also didn't like being treated like a child and a daughter. While she was confined to the palace she often thought of her sister and how she was doing during her absence. When Csaba was finished with his duties with the emperor he spent most of his nights with Farah and a group of soldiers, one of the best of the soldiers, Wang, became Csaba's best friend.

There weren't many parties or celebrations in Banat so she was not used to the amount of parties that these soldiers had after hours. She also grew accustomed to drinking heaps of wine with the Chinese soldiers and the emperor even allowed her and Csaba into the red room, which was off limits except to special guests and certain dignitaries that visited the imperial city.

The moment she first laid eyes on the red room she was horrified at the amount of concubines the emperor had at his disposal. Of course the concubines were all women and many from different lands other than China. Wang was very persuasive and tried to offer a few of the concubines to sleep in Csaba's quarters with Farah.

At first, Farah was opposed to the idea but as they continuously visited the red room, she enjoyed the amount of attention she got from all the women. The emperor even gifted her special gowns that were made from pure silk. She had several dresses back home but none were this ornate.

Every night was a huge party and the emperor often was secluded in his quarters. The nights were long but the days were even longer. This was one of those mornings Farah wished she'd never drank the amount of wine that she did. Although there was a plus side to the festive night she had with Csaba and Wang –the emperor released Csaba from his duties for a couple of days.

She rolled over and kicked the sheets off her sweaty body and eyes fluttered open, glaring at the sunlit room. She groaned and her head throbbed. Csaba was still asleep and she draped her leg over his and smiled, toying with his long locks. Breathing out heavily he opened his eyes and turned to her serene green eyes.

"Good morning," he greeted her and she kept smiling. He lifted his head and looked at several women sprawled across the floor and sleeping on chairs and sofas. Wang was lying on a floor pillow with two naked women on either side of him with an empty cup in his hand.

"Remind me never to invite Wang into our room," he grumbled and sat up.

Farah pushed him back onto the bed and climbed on top of him. His eyes widened and she pinned his arms to the pillows. "I have you all to myself for the next couple of days."

"You didn't get enough of me last night?" he teased her.

"You were more preoccupied with the concubines than you were with me." She frowned and he chuckled.

"Farah, I only have eyes for you. Despite what people say about Huns, not all of us have multiple wives like your sister believes. Besides, I am just trying to fit in. You know, make an impression on the soldiers." He tries to defend himself and she lets go of him and rolls over on her side of the bed and lies on her side. Csaba frowns sadly, afraid that he might have upset her. His hand trailed up her hip and up to her thin torso.

His fingers trace down her flat abdomen and she tightens her muscle at his touch. "I love you. Not any of these women."

She turns and looks at him with curious eyes. "You do?"

His face paled. He had never said those words to her before but he supposed he meant it. He hadn't known Farah very long, but long enough to know that he didn't want to be with anyone else. "Yes…I do."

She smiles and rolls over to her back and drapes her arm over his shoulder. "Do you love me enough to marry me?"

"Um…" he smiles faintly, "of course." He answered without thinking.

She sat up excitedly and kissed his forehead. "We can get married here!" she suggests. "I hear they have huge weddings here."

Csaba shook his head. "Farah, I cannot marry you in China," he saw the disappointment on her face. "Any marriage is supposed to be approved by my parents. Any marriage outside of Pannonia is not recognized."

She sighs deeply. "Well, we can pretend to be married." The smile returns on her face. "And then when we return to Pannonia we can get married and I can stay with you."

The thought of his parents was not something that was on his mind as of late until now. He couldn't imagine his parents, especially his mother, allowing him to marry Farah after they took off without telling anyone. He could already see the foul look on his mother's face.

Emperor Liu walked into the room unannounced and Farah quickly climbed into the sheets and covered her body up to her neck. Csaba threw a pillow at Wang to wake him up. The officer jolted awake, alarming the two concubines beside him. Wang rubbed his eyes and immediately stood up at the sight of the emperor and bowed his head.

Csaba quickly put his pants on and bowed at the emperor with reddened cheeks. The emperor glanced around the room at the women and copious amounts of empty wine bottles. "I see you are enjoying my concubines, Prince Csaba."

"They are everything you promised and more…" he kept his gaze low and the emperor smiles.

"I hate to take you away from your lady," he eyes Farah and she grins weakly. "But I need your expertise on a certain people."

Csaba grabbed his cloak and Wang shooed away the women and stood beside the prince. "What do you need from me?"

"Are you familiar with the Gokturks?" the emperor folded his arms over his broad chest.

"Yes…I'm familiar with them. They're mountain people. They live in the Caucasus close to the White Hun kingdom."

Liu nods his head slowly. "They seem to be infiltrating my empire. The south kingdom is swarming with those rodents."

"They traveled all the way from the mountains?" Csaba frowned and sheathed his sword at his hip. "They never leave the mountains."

"We will discuss this further in my chambers. Perhaps Lady Farah would like to accompany my wife into the city?" he smiles at the Banat young woman. "She's just returned from the south kingdom where my son is. She is eager to meet you," he eyes the nervous look on Farah's face. "Prince, come to my chambers when you've cleaned yourself up. Wang," he frowns, "follow me."

* * *

Xena lined up all of the recruits by the hundreds and inspected every single man's armor. She tugged on one of the men's armor and the chest plate fell to the ground. His eyes grew, afraid he was going to get smacked by her. She picked up the breastplate and smirked then threw it across the field a few yards away.

"Someone doesn't know how to put on armor." She says to the terrified young soldier. "You wish to die young, boy?"

"No commander!"

"Then go get your armor," she said and he stood frozen in his place. The soldiers beside him looked at them out of their corner of their eyes. Xena cocked her head. "Go get it!" she yelled and he ran passed her to retrieve his breastplate. "And do some laps while you're at it." She orders and the other soldiers lifted their chins as she walked along the line, tugging at their plates.

Fairuza walked up to the recruits and their eyes immediately went to her, admiring her beauty and red hair. She smiled at the soldiers and a few of them smiled. Xena caught their wandering eyes and turned to see the White Queen.

"Nobody told you to look at her!" she yells at her recruits and they faced forward, wiping the smiles off their faces. She adjusted one of the soldier's helmets and looked at his frightened big dark eyes. "What are you doing here, Fairuza? Only military personnel are allowed out here."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She followed behind Xena as she kept inspecting the men's armor. "I…want to come with you."

Xena snickers and yanks another soldier's breastplate and fell on the ground. "Another one." She grabbed the plate and threw it behind her. "You can join your mate back there," she winked and the boy ran into the field to run laps with the other lonesome soldier.

"I can be useful to you, Xena. I am skilled with a sword and bow."

"Did Gabrielle put you up to this?" she eyed the queen.

Fairuza shook her head. "No, this was my idea. Kreka Khatun is too injured to come with you and Anastasia isn't here. It is my duty to take the place of an absent queen. That woman came into my home and attacked my family. I can help you."

"I don't need your help, Fairuza."

"I don't need your permission, Xena. I am a queen."

"And this is my army.  _My_  field.  _My_  jurisdiction." She turned to the redhead queen. "If you want to come with me then you follow my orders. Your status means nothing in the battlefield. I am in charge, not you."

Fairuza nodded. "I'll do everything you say."

"Then I'd suggest changing out of your dress and putting on some armor." She scanned the queen's attire and frowned.

"I did not bring any armor with me…"

Xena rolled her eyes. "Anastasia has her armor in her room. It should fit you…" she looks at the queen and rubs her chin. "On second thought you might want to wear Kreka's armor," she smiles, taking a jab at the queen and her body type which was not as athletic as Anastasia's and she was a few inches shorter than her as well. Although Kreka was not short and nearly the same as height as Ana, her armor should fit Fairuza better.

* * *

Gabrielle wrote up a list of things for Ebnedzar to do and she never had to do that before for Ellac but Ebnedzar was simply clueless on how to run an empire but he did listen well. She comprised a list for him and told him to make sure that the Czarina stays away from Kreka and the rest of the royals in the household. She also told him to get a report from Dengi within a week or so to see how the people of Banat were doing.

She wasn't certain that Justinian was going to ransack Banat. It simply wasn't his style to attack so close to Pannonia. She thought he would have tried to attack the Huns already but he didn't which struck very odd. Now that their peace treaty was off she thought that the emperor would have done something by now but since he hadn't, she didn't know if sending Dengi to the border of Pannonia and Banat was very wise.

She sat in the yurt in silence, writing her thoughts down while Xena finished packing her belongings ready to leave for Visigoth territory. She felt like they were walking on eggshells around each other for the last couple of days and wasn't sure how to fix it other than to talk and Xena didn't seem like she wanted to talk at all.

Xena came out of the bedroom and walked over to the kitchenette area. Gabrielle's eyes followed her but tried to appear busy and pretended to write but her eyes were focused on the commander the entire time. Xena scooped some rice into two bowls and then mixed it with warm yogurt and sprinkled some crushed mint on top. She turned around with the bowls and Gabrielle bowed her head, glaring at her parchment.

She stood beside the governor and Gabrielle glanced at her legs and bare feet but did not lift her eyes further. Xena set down the bowl of food by her knee and Gabrielle glanced at the food. She sat on the rug opposite her and stirred the rice and yogurt together with a wooden spoon.

Her eyes fixated on the blonde and the unwillingness to touch the food. "You should eat that before it gets cold."

Gabrielle sighs and pushed the parchment aside and looks at the brunette. "Did you make this?" she picks up the bowl.

Xena smirks. "I took it from the Adame."

Nodding, Gabrielle stirs the rice and yogurt together and stares at the food and kept tapping the spoon on the bottom of the bowl. "This is one of Cera's favorite meals."

Xena frowns and chews slowly. "You aren't going to convince me to stay, Gabrielle. I'm going over there."

And here comes the storm that Gabrielle expected to emerge much sooner. The calm before the storm was no more. "But you said it yourself that she is always one step ahead of you." She set down the bowl. "What if she is expecting you to do this?"

"Then she'll know what's coming to her."

"I don't think you should go."

Xena sensed a fight brewing and she put the bowl down and glared at the adamant governor. "And why is that? You don't trust my judgment?"

"No! I care about you, Xena! I don't want anything to happen to you." She finally admitted it and Xena let her guard down and anxiously scratched her arm. "Zeno destroyed Pannonia. We weren't prepared for that battle."

"This is different. And I killed Zeno and I'll kill Boareks too."

"You're right. This is different. She knows the right moment to attack and she does it quietly and quickly." She crawled over and held Xena's hands in hers. "I'm begging you to stay, please."

It was hard to resist those eyes but Xena was too focused on the Sabir woman and her army that she couldn't focus on anything else. "Nothing you say is going to make me stay, Gabrielle. Although I must give you credit for trying." She kissed her hand and Gabrielle closed her teary eyes. "Fairuza offered to come with me. You should stay here and make sure this empire doesn't crumble."

* * *

Arielle walked into her stepmother's bedroom where Cera still remained. She was told by her grandmother to bring tea and some food to the room. She walked in with a silver tray and saw her mother sitting on the floor with her arm draped over the edge of the bed and her head leaning on the bed sleeping.

She took in a hefty breath and set the tray on the bedside table and stared at her little sister in the large bed that swallowed her. She grabbed Ana's shoulder and shook her lightly. "Mother," she whispered. "Mother!"

Anastasia jarred awake and lifted her head up at her daughter. "Arielle, what are you doing in here?" she brushed her hair away from her face and wiped her nose.

"Grandma Tuya said to bring you some food." She gestured to the tray. "Did you actually break grandma's nose?"

Ana nearly forgot about that and she frowned at her daughter then stood up gradually and looked at Cera in a comatose sleep. "Yes I did and I shouldn't have done that. I was just…upset."

Arielle nodded and leaned over, staring at her sister and frowned. Cera breathed in out and heavily and coarsely. "Why is she breathing like that?"

She definitely didn't want to tell her daughter that her sister's throat was slit by that woman. "Her throat is very injured."

"By that woman," Arielle concluded and her mother's mouth gaped. She looked up at her shocked face. "I know everything. I know what happened." She folds her arms on the bed and watches her sister sleep. "Who is she anyway? I knew something was wrong with that boy!"

"She's Sabir. That's all I know."

Arielle crinkled her nose. "What is a Sabir?"

"I'm not entirely sure," she says softly and sat down in the chair, eyeing the food that seemed so unappetizing to her at the moment.

Arielle reached across the bed and touched her sister's hand. "You're going to find that woman, right mother?" she turned and saw a blank expression on her mother's face. "And you'll kill her for what she did to Cera, won't you?"

Anastasia creased her eyebrows together and jumped up from the chair and looked at Cera then at Arielle's big eyes. She stormed out of the room and Arielle cocked her head to the side at her mother's abrupt departure. She had stayed inside this Adame long enough and she certainly had stayed by her daughter's side with little to no change in the last week. If she had never met Navaz and had Arielle she probably wouldn't have had the chance to build a relationship with the sword or the battlefield.

She always thought that she'd stay in Pannonia and take care of Csaba until she forced out of her land and had to assimilate in Balaam with everyone else. At first, she hated Balaam but now she thought of it as a blessing that she met Navaz. Without him she probably would have never seen Ellac again and she definitely wouldn't be the queen of the entire Hun nation either. And she had her mother to thank for training her well in the art of war and Gabrielle's art of words. She had the best of both worlds and she was just sitting here doing nothing while her daughter's health was deteriorating.

She kicked the doors open to the conference room and Navaz's eyes widened. He was in the middle of talking with his elite soldiers and they all bowed their heads. "Anastasia…did Cera finally wake up?"

"I want all of your elite horsemen and scouts." She didn't ask, she demanded. "And I'd like your best war horse. Mirac will do just fine." She spoke of Navaz's horse that he kept in the stables and only used when he went to war or on long journeys.

He dismissed his soldiers and looked at her dubiously. "May I ask why you are requesting this?"

"This is not a request. It's an order. I'm going to scout the Caucasus Mountains. I'd like your men and your horse ready to go outside tomorrow morning." She turned and walked out.

He stood dumbfounded and ran his hand across his face and groaned.

* * *

Ellac sat in his chambers drinking wine with General Balasz. While he was not king at the moment he was still allowed to be in quarters even though he felt awkward when he had to report to Ebnedzar instead of relying on himself. He swished the wine, staring at the Banat General.

"So," he began and Balasz smiled. "It's strange that a general and a commander are away from their homeland during an invasion."

Balasz chuckled awkwardly. "I was ordered by Czar Danut to look after his daughter. She is my wife you know," he lifted the glass and Ellac nodded, drinking the red wine without taking his eyes off the Szekely man.

"Czarina Rabia is always welcome here. You don't have to worry about her safety. She will be fine here on her own if you need to go to Banat."

The general ignored that suggestion and eyed the room. "Your commander is very adamant about finding the Sabir queen."

Ellac took note of his dodgy answer and looked at the water pipe on the other side of the room. He got up and picked up the brass pipe and walked it over to place it in between him and the general. "It's best to stay out of Xena's way when she has her mind set on something. That is one thing the governor hasn't learned."

Balasz watched as Ellac lit bark over the flames and uncoiled the long hose. "Yes…" he sips the wine easily. "And where is that governor of yours? Did she leave with the commander?"

"I'm not allowed to give out that information." He set the bark on the bowl and handed the hose to his guest. "Do you smoke?"

"Oh no thank you." He smiled and Ellac sat down, inhaling the opium. "When is your wife returning to Pannonia?"

Ellac blew out a large cloud of white smoke and frowned at the general. "Why are you so curious about my wife's whereabouts?"

"I am simply concerned for her safety. That Sabir queen sounds very dangerous."

Ernak walked into the room and the general turned around. The prince frowned down at him and looked at his brother, going on about his daily activity getting high on opium. He pulled out a scroll and handed it to the Banat man. "A message for you."

Balasz opened the scroll and Ellac nudged his head at his brother to leave the room. He saw the general's lips turn into a brief smile and then rolled up the parchment. "What does it say?"

Balasz tucked the scroll inside his vest and eyed the king. "My people are winning against Justinian."

Ellac thought that was odd news considering that he hadn't received a report from Dengi or Gabrielle. Without his permission and Ebnedzar's Gabrielle went to the borders of Banat while Xena took the fresh recruits to Visigoth territory days ago.

Instead of causing suspicion with the Banat he smiled. " _Wonderful_."

* * *

Gabrielle stood beside Dengi watching the walls of Banat crumble with the use of catapults and other machines that neither of them had seen before. Dengi watched in horror as the citizens fled while he and his brother's army stood by and did nothing. Xena was not here like she was supposed to be and therefore couldn't give the order to attack. Ebnedzar wasn't here either and he couldn't give the order. Gabrielle was no commander or officer and therefore had no authority to launch an attack on the Byzantines.

Dengi put a hand over his eyes and peeked through his fingers watching the kingdom's walls being blown to smithereens. "This is a fucking nightmare."

She scanned the area and finally the Byzantines were able to penetrate the walls of Banat and stormed inside, fighting what little men the Szekely had. She turned her head and frowned at the catapults and other machines behind in the defense line.

"Since when do Romans use ballistic weapons?"

"Justinian obviously upgraded his army since Anastasius ruled." He shook his head and more bombs were cast on the large palace. "Where the hell is Xena and why isn't she leading this damn army?!" he growled.

Gabrielle's green eyes darkened. "She's on a mission of her own." She eyed the cylindrical machines being loaded by several of the Romans and the machines were much slower at launching bombs but they were far bigger and more effective.

"What kind of machines are those?" she asks and Dengi whips his head to the left and frowns.

"I've never seen those before. Are we just going to stand and watch this disaster?"

She looked at the field and several of the Byzantines slaughtered Banat soldiers. She spotted a hooded rider and her eyes darted to the weapon line. "Where is Justinian?"

"Who the fuck knows." Dengi folded his arms and was getting antsy just watching the Banat kingdom being destroyed right before his eyes. She ran down the hill to get a closer look and Dengi's eyes grew. "Gabrielle! What are you doing?!"

She stopped just before the cliff and observed the hooded rider drop the hood and her mouth gaped. She pointed at the rider. "Queen Boareks!" she shouted up at the prince. Now it all made sense. Romans were never skilled with ballistic weapons but these Sabirs definitely were. This confirmed all the suspicions about Justinian allying with Boareks. But that also meant that Xena was going all the way to Visigoth territory for nothing. She ran back up the hill and kept her eyes on the queen slicing through men and waving her sword at the Byzantines to enter the palace.

"Dengi! Dengi! It's her!" she pointed at the Sabir and he squint his eyes and finally saw her. She was the only woman in the entire field aside from the civilians.

"Well, shit." He unfolded his arms. "That woman is everywhere."

Queen Boareks circled around and snatched a boy no older than her youngest son and looked up at the Huns waiting on the hill. She met eyes with Gabrielle and cast a wicked smile. She drove her blade into the boy's chest and Gabrielle stood by and watched the boy bleed out. The queen dropped the child and wiped her blade on her pants with the smile still present on her lips.

"She's a savage." Dengi said and felt sick witnessing such an act.

Gabrielle mounted her horse. "Shoot at her," she tells the prince.

" _What_?"

"I'm going down there! Just shoot!" she yells and rides down the rocky hillside and Dengi slapped his forehead. He turned to the archers in the front line and pointed at the Sabir queen.

Gabrielle rode into the thick of the battle and one of the Banat soldiers flew in front of her face. She eyed Boareks riding off elsewhere and stomped on top of a fallen Byzantine soldier and followed the queen through the battle. She waved the smoke out of her face and scanned the field and spotted the black cloak.

She kicked the horse and followed through the crowd and went completely unnoticed by the Banats and Byzantines as if she was in another world. She trailed behind Boareks and frowned, ready to strike her in the spine just as she did to Kreka. She whipped her sword and finally a few feet away, she drove her sword into her back.

A loud audible gasp from the rider let out and Gabrielle turned her around and her eyes widened. The rider wasn't Queen Boareks but just a Byzantine soldier. He fell off the horse and the blade slid out of backside. She narrowed her eyes and circled around herself, looking for the Sabir queen.

"Xena you were right. She is always one step ahead," she muttered.

Defeated and confused she returned to the hill where Dengi was waiting for her patiently. The archers stopped firing as soon as he saw her sword drive into the supposed queen. "You killed her?"

Gabrielle sighed. "No. It wasn't her. It was one of Justinian's men." She rubbed her temples and stared at the field. "How did I lose her? She was right there!"

"She's good," he nodded and looked at the bloody field below. "She's better than Xena. No wonder she wants a piece of her. Xena can't stand it when someone is better than her at something, especially when it comes to war."

Now Gabrielle knew why Xena was so bent on finding Boareks and destroying that camp. "She's going to come back in a fit of rage."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because she's expecting Boareks to be at her camp."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Xena, Queen Fairuza and the young recruits trotted into Visigoth territory and Xena, leading the men, put her fist up, halting the entire army behind her. Fairuza's eyes roamed around at the empty field which supposedly held Boareks' troops. She nervously adjusted the helmet on her auburn hair and if smoke could come out of Xena's ears; that is exactly how she looked right about now. Fairuza was afraid to say anything but she did see King Theodoric in the field, also looking just as miffed as she was.

The blonde Goth turned and smirked at the irate commander. "Xena, what a pleasant surprise." He leered at the young soldiers. "Training children now, huh?"

"Where. Is.  _She_?" she snarled.

He shrugged. "You're asking the wrong person."

"You're her ally, you bastard!"

"No need for name calling, Xena," he snickered and she hopped off the horse and came up behind him and held him in a choke hold. "Got…a lot of…pent-up anger?" he croaked out. "We…are passed the little mishap between us, aren't we?" he smiles and she tightens her grip. "Maybe, we could…work together?"

"I will never forgive you for killing the father of my daughter," she hissed in his ear and he cringed at her hot breath. "Now," she grabbed his face and whipped it around. "Look at this field, Theodoric. I want you to  _really_  look at it. You lookin' at it?"

He nods.

"Good." She grinned and pinched his cheeks together. "Where did she go?"

"Let go of me," he said and she shoved him away. He rubbed his face and ruffled his long blonde locks. "Jesus Christ, Xena," he growled.

She folded her arms. "You follow the Byzantine Church now, Theodoric? Did Justinian finally get to you?"

He chuckled and stepped away, giving a fair distance between them. "You aren't here to talk of religion, are you, Xena?" he said and she blinked slowly. "I don't know where she is. I came back from Rome this morning and am just as confused as you."

"What were you doing in Rome? Conspiring against Justinian? Oh please, let me in on it. As if I don't have enough treachery going on in my life!" she screamed and Fairuza bowed her head, shielding herself from the commander's wrath.

"What exactly were you going to do? Attack her camp? With those little boys?" he laughed and she threatened to charge at him and he pointed his sword at her chest. "She has catapults, Xena. She would have blown your little army up in minutes." He noticed her eyes change to a light crystal blue. She was in shock, of course. "She has war machines that I've never seen before. I wouldn't want to be on the other end of those in a battle. Her army brings them wherever she goes."

She backed off and he lowered his guard but kept his eyes on her just in case. "Alright Theodoric, how about this –you tell me everything you know about Boareks."

The king smiled and sheathed the sword. "You want to work together as a team?"

"I didn't say that. Just tell me everything you know about her."

"It's killing you, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Meeting someone who's better than you. I can see it in those gorgeous blue eyes of yours. You can't stand it that she is better than you at strategic warfare." He rubbed his beard and she breathed deeply out of her nostrils. "Okay Xena. I will help you out but on one condition."

She tapped her foot impatiently and waved her hand for him to continue.

"I don't want your army to attack my people."

"Why don't you tell me what you know first and I'll see what I can do about your  _condition_."

* * *

Farah accompanied the Emperor's wife, Empress Zhenfeng, into the city several times over the last couple of weeks. She did like the Empress because she was very kind and not to mention she was very pleasing to the eyes. Her pale skin complimented her black hair and high cheekbones that she rouged every day. Farah felt like a peasant standing next to the Empress even though she was definitely not one.

Today, they walked through the imperial city, greeting the civilians. Empress Zhenfeng walked underneath a canopy that her maids carried over her head to protect her delicate skin from the blazing sun. Farah smiled at the Chinese citizens and some gave her odd looks but others smiled back at her. She deduced it to her being in the presence of one of the most important people in China and not because they liked her or knew anything about her.

Zhenfeng handed a loaf of bread to one of the poorest women that Farah had ever seen in her life. She eyed the coy Czarina out of the corner of her eye and kept her calm and steady pace. "Lady Farah," she begins, "my husband says great things about you."

Farah's cheeks blushed and she hid behind her black veil. "Does he?"

The Empress gives a small head nod and smiled at the civilians below her. "He thinks you are very humorous. I have not seen him talk like this about any foreigners. You and your husband have made quite an impact on China."

Now the Czarina's cheeks really turned a bright red. "Csaba isn't…my husband," she admitted and Zhenfeng stopped walking and turned to her, staring confusedly.

"What a shame to see your beauty go to waste," she grazed her palm on Farah's cheek.

"Well, he said we can't get married until we return to Pannonia. I am waiting until we return. I am very patient," she gave a big smile and the Empress returned the warm smile and kept walking.

Upon reaching the end of their daily duties tending to the poor, the gates along the Great Wall that guarded the city, opened. Farah frowned when she saw Csaba riding in with a group of unfamiliar people behind him. She peered behind the empress and a woman wearing a large black square headdress with a red floral pattern trotted behind Csaba. A man with long braided hair followed her and Farah raised her eyebrow at the guests or perhaps prisoners.

Csaba met eyes with her and he grinned then continued riding down the dirt path. The woman with the large ornate headdress gazed down at Farah and snarled like a dog. Farah gasped and took a step backward, almost bumping into the empress.

Zhenfeng watched the captured foreigners and shook her head. "Those woman's eyes are that of a snake," she remarked. "We should return to the palace. Perhaps you would like to sit in the throne room with me while my husband interrogates these foreigners?"

"Really?" Farah beamed.

"You will be my special guest, Farah."

* * *

Csaba pushed the couple down to their knees and Emperor Liu rubbed his chin. His eyes were particularly focused on the woman's big brown eyes that appeared black. She had a long face with a strong jaw and high cheekbones and a long straight thin nose to compliment her other harsh features including her extravagant arched rounded eyebrows.

"These are the Gokturks that were invading the South Kingdom, sir," Csaba said and Liu nodded.

"And you said you have experience with Gokturks, Csaba?"

"In passing only, emperor," the prince bowed his head. "I don't know these two and frankly, I didn't know the Gokturks had a queen."

The woman growled up at him and Csaba kneed her in the back. "And their names?" Liu asked.

"Khan Bamin Qaghan and Queen Yeter," he introduced them. "What do you want me to do with them?"

The Gokturk Queen Yeter smiled at the young Chinese emperor. "Perhaps you would like to discuss a peace offering? My husband and I are more than willing to side with you."

Emperor Liu, being the reasonable man he was, allowed the woman to speak. "Go on, Gokturk Queen."

Csaba helped her up to her feet and she snatched her shackled arms away and smiled at the emperor. He looked to the left and smiled at Farah passing by him with Empress Zhenfeng at her side. Farah smiled shyly and stood beside the empress at the head of the council.

Yeter began explaining herself, "it is obvious that we are good fighters given how easily we were able to penetrate your South Kingdom," she saw the frown on the emperor's face. "Allow us to give you all of our soldiers and bounty we collected. We could be very useful to you. I will personally give you my assassins."

Csaba scoffed and Yeter spun around. "Something to say, Hun?" she spat.

"Actually yes," he shoved her aside and lifted his chin at the emperor. "Sir, the Gokturks are nothing but trouble for my people. They constantly are trying to invade the Caucasus. And another thing, it is very unusual for their tribe to leave the mountains unless they were pushed out and I doubt King Navaz would have done that."

"We were not pushed out by that White King. We simply left looking for land to conquer."

The Hun prince snickered. "I don't believe you." He eyed the queen.

She scoffed, "typical Hun. You all think less of us Gokturks because we are not your kind. We have enough tribes to build an empire."

"An empire greater than my grandfather's?" he teased.

Emperor Liu sighed deeply, catching everyone's attention in the room. "Your banter is annoying. Take the Gokturks to the cells below and I will figure out what to do with them later."

The guards grabbed the two Gokturks and Yeter glared at the Hun prince. "You are making a big mistake allying with him, Emperor!" she yelled as she was pushed out of the throne chamber. "Huns are swine! They betray their allies!"

There was some truth in that and Csaba nervously looked at the miffed emperor. "That is not true, your highness," he lamented, trying to save face and the reputation of his people –of his parents. "Gokturks are very violent and normally keep to themselves. If they left the mountains they didn't do it alone. They had help."

Liu frowned at the Hun, now wondering if the queen's words had some truth to them after all. "And  _who_  would help them, prince?"

"It…is just a guess," Csaba bowed his head and felt the sweat beads on his forehead.

* * *

"So she moved her camp and I have no idea where she went," Xena says as she paces back and forth. Gabrielle, Ellac and Kreka all stare at her with doe eyes and sat in silence. "Theodoric told me that she has three sons. Balmaq, Iliger and Kutilzis. The youngest is Kutilzis and that was the one who went into Balaam and lied to everyone. I don't know what she is planning but I want to be ready this time," she smiled, remaining determined. She stopped pacing and looked at the three giving her the silent treatment. "What?"

Gabrielle looked at the king and khatun and they blinked rapidly. Xena folded her arms and frowned. "What is with you guys?" she asked again.

"Um Xena," the governor stood up and grabbed her partner and sat her down to prepare herself for this news. "Boareks is working with Justinian."

Xena snickered, "I already know that, Gabrielle. Theodoric told me everything."

"No." the blonde interrupted and laced her fingers together then inhaled deeply. "She is the one who attacked Banat. Justinian allowed her to use his army and her machines. Banat is completely destroyed." She looked at Xena's lips curl into a frown. "And…she was there. I saw her."

"What?!" Xena stood up and Gabrielle pushed her back down.

"She looked right at me and killed a child. I tried to follow her but somehow…I lost her and I ended up stabbing one of Justinian's men."

"She was so close to Pannonia!" Xena growled. "She could have killed you Gabrielle!"

Gabrielle knew that she was going to react like this. Always thinking about her instead of everyone else. "She wasn't after me. If she was, she would have killed me but she rode off."

Kreka nodded. "And she moved her camp because of you, Xena. She knows that you will come for her so she ran and hid."

"She can't hide an army of hundreds. They couldn't have gone far." Xena stood up and looked at the forlorn governor. "She's going to attack again. I just need to know where…" she sighed, feeling the most defeated she had ever felt in her entire life as a commander. She slumped her shoulders and buried her face in her hands.

Gabrielle smiled and clung to her arm for warmth. "We're going to find her. Don't worry, Xena."

"I…I've never met anyone like her before. I don't know what she is planning next."

Ellac grew tired of listening to the woes and pity from the best commander in his empire. "Maybe you don't understand her ways because you aren't thinking like her," he suggests. Xena turned with a furrowed brow. "You used to think like Boareks. You  _were_  Boareks at one point. You've grown soft over the years, Xena." He meant that as an insult at a time like this, although he much preferred the way she was now instead of the Xena he used to know when he was a child.

Gabrielle didn't like where this was going and by the look on Kreka's face, she didn't either.

He continues, "I think you should get in touch with that dark side of you and…perhaps you will be on the same level as the Sabir queen again?"

"We don't need to resort to that," Gabrielle glared at the king and he shrugged a shoulder. "There are other ways we can find Boareks."

"He's right." Xena said and Gabrielle's eyes widened. "I am too soft. I am too unfocused and I have too many distractions –you, Anastasia, Csaba, Arielle, Cera…" she saw the hurt in her partner's eyes.

Gabrielle stuttered, "well…you –you can't just forget about everyone! They are your family! We are your family!"

She placed on a hand on the governor's shoulder. "I can and I will." She kissed her forehead and left the throne room. Gabrielle watched her walk away and felt an empty pit inside of her. She suddenly felt ill and wanted to slap Ellac across the face for even suggesting something so horrible. The woman that Xena turned into was the woman she always was deep within, but now she was about to turn into the horrible woman she once was.

She glared at Ellac and he sank in the chair. "I should kill you."

"You got any better ideas of how to handle this Sabir bitch?" he waved his hand.

"You told Xena to forget about everyone and turn into the person she took so long to abandon!"

"Sometimes you have to bring out the beast to win the war." He stood up and helped his stepmother out of her chair. "You can't save her, Gabrielle. Xena hates to lose and she now realized that she will do anything to win even if that means abandoning everything she has learned from you."

He stormed out and Kreka bowed her head. Tapping her fingers on the cane she felt Gabrielle's angst from afar. "Even after you came, you know that side of her never left." She states and sees remorse from the blonde. "The question is, are you prepared to deal with that side of her again?"

"I am not prepared for that because it's not going to happen."

Kreka hobbled away. "Don't be daft, Gabrielle. I know you're smarter than that." She grumbles making a slow exit.

* * *

While Anastasia was scouting for the Sabir queen, Bakkah and Leila kept watch of Cera and checked her wounds for her. Tuya also came in and occasionally watched the princess to allow the aunts to have a bit of a break. Today, Bakkah was watching Cera and Arielle decided to stay with her. Arielle sat on the bed, her eyes glancing at her sister periodically while she was drawing on a large pad that Gabrielle gave her as a gift for her birthday.

Bakkah sat in a chair beside the bed holding her infant son, Kurt, in her arms, attempting for the last hour to get him to sleep. Her eyes began to drift and Arielle lifted her eyes at her tired aunt. "Bakkah!" she whispers and jarred her aunt. "Don't fall asleep," she smiled. "Maybe you should let my grandma watch baby Kurt for you."

As sweet as the offer was, Bakkah hated Tuya and apparently so did everyone else here, especially Anastasia. She grinned at the princess, now fully awake. "It's alright. I think I can handle it…" she yawned.

Arielle chuckled. "Okay but she's really good with babies. When my brother was a baby he would cry all the time! She has magical powers or something because when she held him he finally stopped crying." Yes, probably scared him to death, thought Bakkah. "It's just a suggestion."

Cera, after lying in bed in a comatose sleep for over two weeks, opened her eyes and breathed in sharply. Arielle turned her head and threw the pad off the bed and smiled, leaning over her sister. Cera's eyes widened up at Arielle's excited face. Gingerly, she lifted her hand and touched the bandages around her throat and shoulder.

"You're awake!" she shouted and the little princess winced. "Oh, sorry," she whispered. "How do you feel? My god you have been sleeping for a long time, Cera! I thought you were never going to wake up. Mother is going to find that woman who hurt you."

Cera blinked and opened her mouth but it hurt too much to utter a small word. She clamped her small hand around her throat.

"What's the matter? Can't you say anything?" Arielle asks her sister. Cera lay stilly and could barely move her head or neck. "Does it hurt?" she pointed to her neck and Cera tried to slowly nod her head and scrunched up her face, showing how much pain she was in. "Oh, I see. Don't do that. Just stay still!" she pat her sister's arm. "I'm going to tell everyone that you're awake!" she hopped off the bed. "Bakkah, watch her," she ordered.

* * *

Balmaq and Iliger moved their mother's army to the abandoned Gokturk territory hidden deep within the Caucasus Mountains. Boareks knew it was the right decision to move the army to this location because no Hun was stupid enough to come into these mountains and it was obvious that the White King had some conflicts with the Gokturks.

Boareks arrived to the mountainous area and looked at the top of a cliff with her eldest son. The cliff overlooked the entirety of Balaam and she was able to see the Adame and all of the entrances and exits of the Hun home.

"This is very close to Hun territory, mother," Balmaq said a bit nervous that the Huns would attack them if they were to be found out.

She smiled. "That is the idea,  _shirin_   _bola_." She almost felt bad for the oblivious Huns below the mountains. The key word was 'almost'. "Were there any messages for me while I was gone?"

He nodded. "Queen Yeter and Khan Bamin made it into the imperial city last week. They were taken in by a Hun Prince, so your spy reported."

Her dark eyes sparkled. "A Hun prince you said? Do you happen to know his name?"

"Prince Csaba," he says and was worried by the look in his mother's eyes. "Mother, if you don't mind me asking –"

"I mind."

He went ahead and asked anyway even though he knew he'd have repercussions for it. "Why have you befriended the Gokturks? They have nothing to offer."

She grabbed his throat and shoved him into the cliff wall drenched in snow. "They have plenty to offer. I need them as a distraction for the White Hun King!" she growled and he stood frozen, fearing for his life. Everyone serves their purpose!" she released him. "Don't question me again Balmaq."

She went back to scanning the Balaam area and found a group of travelers on horseback coming into the mountains. She grinned and slipped on her leather gloves. "We have company." She waved her hand. "Bring them to my tent,  _shirin_   _bola_."

"What if they are a part of the king's guard?"

"Do as I say!" she yelled and he slid down the cliff, digging his fingers in the snow and jumped down. He grabbed his brother's shoulder and Boareks shook her head at her son's insolence. She slipped the hood over her head and walked down a path around the mountain.

* * *

Gabrielle lay on her back on the bed and turned over, staring at Xena's backside. She smiled and rolled over onto her side and trailed her finger along the commander's bare arm. Little to her knowledge, Xena was wide awake, staring at the wall and didn't even tremor at her touch.

Out of the blue, Xena blurted out, "I think I should go to Rome."

Gabrielle gasped, nearly scared half to death and slapped Xena's arm. "I didn't know you were awake!"

"Good morning," she says and rolls over onto her other side and smiled at the anxious blonde. "So, what do you think? Do you think Odoacer would let me use his army to get rid of Boareks?"

She sighs and plops down onto her back and folds her arms. This was not the conversation she wanted to have this early in the morning. "Odoacer is not Valentinian. He is not persuaded easily. Just because he is our ally, doesn't mean anything."

"Theodoric told me that he has allied with Odoacer behind Justinian's and Boareks' backs. This could be our chance to join with Rome and the Visigoths. She is crushing our tribes one by one, Gabrielle! This is important."

"I don't want to lose you," the governor said softly.

Xena fiddled with the sheets and thought about what Ellac said. It was true that she had grown soft over the years but not when it came to war. If that were true she wouldn't have decapitated Zeno and Tomiri. She would have left them alone if she left that side of her behind but those two were causing such havoc for everyone and now Queen Boareks was destroying the Hun Empire. It was only a matter of time until she came to Pannonia and attacked.

"You aren't going to lose me." She inched closer and toyed with Gabrielle's hair. "Things will get better when Anastasia comes back home." Her mood lightened at the mention of her daughter.

Gabrielle lolls her head over, "I hope Cera is alright. You should have seen the look on her face, Xena. She killed that boy without hesitation and she had a smile on her face. Her eyes." she clenched her fists recalling the memory. "They were so black."

Xena wagged her head. "I have no doubt she would kill her own sons. She is evil and we need to stop her."

"And we need Odoacer to do that?" she raised her eyebrow at her partner's sheepish face. "Or do you just want to evoke your power as General of Rome again?" she hinted and Xena's lips turned into an ear to ear smile. She punched her in the shoulder.

"But I'm good at it you gotta admit."

"Uh huh."

"Güzel hanim…" she bit her bottom lip and kept smiling.

Gabrielle quickly got out of bed before she was accosted by the wily brunette. "Don't sweet talk me, Xena. I'm not in the mood."

Xena crawled towards the end of the bed and Gabrielle grabbed her cloak. "Not in the mood?" she grabbed the back of the cloak and pulled Gabrielle to her and spun her around. She wrapped her arms around the governor's small waist and looked up at her.

"Xena! I have to get to the Adame. I'm going give Ellac his power as king back today!"

"He can wait. What's one more day? That boy keeps smoking opium like candy." She laced her fingers together and had Gabrielle in a hold that she couldn't get out of.

"That is precisely my point…" she tried to slap Xena's arms off. "Come on Xena! Don't you have something to do? Like train the recruits?"

Xena frowned. "No authoritative orders in the house, Gabrielle. The yurt is off limits to your rules."

"Xena I really have a lot of work to do today." She pinched her arm and Xena grunted and let go of Gabrielle. "We can have dinner together later if you want? Just the two of us."

"So I should go steal some food from the Adame." Xena sat back on the bed, stretching her arms over her head with a cheeky grin.

Gabrielle grabbed her boots and smirked. "I don't know how Anastasia didn't starve all those years with your cooking skills or…lack thereof…"

"Hey! I can cook some stuff!"

"Okay Xena, you keep telling yourself that." She backed out of the room. "You. Me. Tonight." She pointed her finger at the lazy commander and waltzed out.

* * *

General Balasz and Commander Pascal stood outside of their rooms within the guest wing and spoke in hushed tones. Balasz explained that the Sabir queen destroyed Banat but the Czar still lives and is inside a section of the large palace heavily protected by his soldiers, or what little left there were.

Pascal folded his arms, displeased to hear of the Czar's health. "That man surprises me. He is so ill that he can barely stand yet he lives through a massive battle."

The general nodded, also not happy to hear that his superior yet lives. "It would have been better if Boareks' men invaded Banat instead of the Byzantines. They weren't very efficient and lost a lot of men. I already alerted her that Xena is hot on her trail and plans to find her."

"What is her new location?"

"She did not tell me." He grumbles. "I don't think she trusts me."

Pascal chuckled and ran his fingers through his light brown straight locks. "It is not you she does not trust, Balasz. You are in the heartland of the Huns. She doesn't trust them and knows who Xena is now. You should give her information about the governor as well. She is just as dangerous as Xena is."

Balasz had a hard time believing that, although Gabrielle was the one who saw Boareks on the field and even tried to assassinate her in a failed attempt. "She is the brains behind this empire."

"And she and the commander are thick as thieves."

"They are more than that. But first thing first, we get rid of Czar Danut and then we deal with the governor."

Rabia hid behind a wall listening to her husband and her sister's ex-fiance discussing her father's imminent assassination. She wrapped an arm around her nauseous stomach and held her breath. She couldn't believe that her own people –her own husband –would betray their people for the sake of power. She was not one to take sides of the Huns but she couldn't allow her husband and Pascal to ruin Gabrielle's life either. If her father was going to die, whether it is from his illness or murder, Balasz would take the crown and rule Banat. She quietly slipped away when she no longer hear them talking.

She was just heading to her room hoping to have a relaxing morning until she heard that. She walked into the main hall and Kreka immediately caught sight of her and began crutching away on her cane. "Khatun! Wait!" she yelled.

Kreka groaned and rolled her eyes but kept walking.

"Khatun, please! I need to talk to you! It's important!"

"I don't know the whereabouts of your sister, Rabia, for the last time."

Rabia ran in front of the queen mother and Kreka gasped then turned, trying to evade her. "Khatun, this is very urgent." She made the mistake of grabbing her shoulders and then was whacked in the leg with Kreka's cane.

"You take your hands off of me this instant before I hit you in the face, Czarina."

Rabia was willing to take that chance. "I have information about Queen Boareks," she whispered.

Kreka looked around to see if anyone was listening but a few servants passed them by, remaining oblivious of course. "Follow me." She hobbled towards the king's quarters down at the end of the hallway and Rabia walked hastily behind, worried that her husband would come and grab her at any second.

* * *

"You're not still fucking that girl are you?" Ernak snaps at his elder brother.

Dengizich slapped his forehead and flopped down on the floor beside Ellac. "No! I told you I stopped!"

Ellac watched his brothers argue for the last half hour while he smoked the water pipe at his leisure. In walked Gabrielle and he wafts the smoke out of his face, trying to hide the fact that he was incredibly high out of his mind. She stopped in front of him and glared into his green eyes. Ernak and Dengi suddenly fell silent and waited for the lecture.

"Still getting high I see." She commented. "And to think I was going to give your kingship back to you."

He immediately got to his feet, sobering up and smiled. "I am ready, Gabrielle! I swear!" he nodded and she looked at him skeptically. "I'll stop smoking. I'll do whatever you want. I just want to be a king again. Ebnedzar is terrible."

"That's no lie," Ernak muttered.

"You promise you won't go off the deep end again?" she looked at the three brothers and they nodded. "Alright…" she sighed and was smashed in between the three tall men. She lifted off the floor in the tight embrace and gasped for air. "I can't breathe!"

Dengi slapped her on the back. "You're the best, Gabrielle."

"I should get the wine," Ernak ran off.

"It's only a few hours passed dawn!" she shouted and he winked.

"Wine knows no time, Gabrielle!" he swung open the doors and his mother was standing outside with Rabia. His face paled. "Mother…"

She pointed her finger into the room. "Get back inside." He did as told and walked back into the chamber and stood beside his brothers and Gabrielle. She made her way inside and Rabia closed the doors. "The Czarina has some information about Queen Boareks."

"Should I go get Xena?" offered Gabrielle.

"No. Let Rabia speak first and then we will get Xena." She turned to the nervous Czarina. "Go ahead, Rabia."

* * *

Anastasia stood at the end of the conference table and Navaz sat at the other end listening to her excursions. "I went to Scythia and even went as far as Magyar territory. She is not in either one of those places. I must be a horrible tracker. If my mother were here she could find her." She huffed and crossed her arms. "Maybe I should have gone further north or maybe I should have gone further west into Goth territory. Would she go there?"

"Anastasia."

"I don't understand how she moves so quickly!"

"Anastasia…"

She lifted her eyes and blinked at the impatient king. "What?"

He threw a scroll to the other end of the table and she frowned. "A message from your mother. She wants you to return to Pannonia. She says she and Gabrielle have more information about the Sabir queen."

She tucked the scroll in her belt and her mind was elsewhere. She was more than determined to find the Sabir woman. "I'll leave right now."

He stood up. "Anastasia, wait!" he yelled and she turned around swiftly. "Cera is awake."

Her eyes lit up and she smiled then rushed out of the room quickly. Navaz sighed and sat back down, enjoying the peace and quiet from all the women in his home. He had a massive headache every day and preferred to hide here in the conference room so he would not be bothered by the women and children.

* * *

Arielle spooned some food into Cera's mouth and wiped her chin. "Don't worry you'll get better soon and then you will be back to normal!" she grinned and Cera smiled softly at her sister and her eyes widened. She pointed to the door and Arielle turned around. "Mother! Look! Cera is awake!"

Ana ran over to the bed and kissed her daughter's hand. " _Tatli_   _kiz_ , how do you feel?"

"She can't talk," Arielle sadly said and Ana ran her fingers down Cera's cheek. "Did you find that Sabir lady?"

"No, I didn't but I will. I promise." She smiled at her redheaded daughter and Cera sighs. "You'll feel much better when we go back home. Your grandmother sent a letter to me. She wants us to come back to Pannonia."

Cera's eyes grew and she excitedly sat up and tried to speak. Arielle pushed her sister back down on the pillows and Cera pouted, frustrated that she was unable to convey her feelings. "Does that mean I'm coming too? Please, mother!" she grabbed her arm and Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yes, you're coming too."

"Yes!" the princess cheered and squeezed her sister's arm. "We're going home, Cera! Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

Cera looked at her mother worriedly and Anastasia smiled. "She'll be your personal nurse, Cera. She will do anything you want," he coaxed her and the little princess liked the sound of that and she grinned at Arielle.

* * *

After Xena was privy to the new found information given by Rabia, she stormed down the guest quarters in search of General Balasz and Pascal. Gabrielle followed her as did Ellac. She withdrew her sword and kicked open all of the doors, looking for the two Banat men. Gabrielle wiped her brow, barely able to keep up.

"Xena, wait, we should think about this more carefully!" she warned.

Xena kicked open Rabia's bedroom door and Balasz was sitting at the desk writing a letter. She smiled deviously and he stood up slowly, not expecting her to arrive in his room. He saw the governor and king behind her and knew he was in trouble.

"Commander…" he began and she swung her sword down on the desk, missing his hand. He leapt away and stood on one side of the bed and she swung again, chopping one of the bedposts in half. Gabrielle gasped and slapped her cheeks. The general evaded her attacks and she sliced through the mattress trying to get to him.

"Kreka Khatun…invited you into her home!" she yelled and swung at him again and sliced through a feather pillow and he stood on the other side of the bed, staring at the sharp blade. "And you were going to harm everyone! You were planning to kill the governor and Czar!" she hopped onto the bed and now there was nowhere to run or hide, especially since Gabrielle and Ellac were blocking the doorway.

Ellac chuckled. "Wow. She's livid. Nice to see she hasn't lost her touch." And Gabrielle rolled her eyes.

"I…have no idea what lies you speak of!" he tried to defend himself.

She grinned and jumped off the bed and he ran into a corner of the room and knocked over several vases. "Balasz!" she kicked the desk over and he breathed heavily, worrying for his safety and he had no weapon to defend himself with. "Your wife told us what you were planning! It's over."

"She is a liar."

Ellac laughed and the general glared at him. "You say your wife is a liar? That's not a very good defense. Your wife will remain here under our protection. She is always welcome here. You on the other hand…well…" he sighed and waved his hand at Xena. "You're all hers. Enjoy."

Xena turned her cheek. "You're allowing me to have him?"

He nodded and Gabrielle nudged him in his side.

" _Excellent_." She turned back to the traitor. "Better start saying some prayers, general, because I won't show you any mercy."

He panicked and ran for the window and she ran after him. He hopped on the ledge and jumped off the second floor of the Adame. Xena's eyes widened as she leaned over the ledge and he landed on the steps of the Adame outside with one leg twisted in a hideous position. Gabrielle ran over and saw the general bleeding out from the head wound.

"Dammit!" Xena slammed her hand on the window sill. "Well, so much for my afternoon." She sheathed her sword and stepped away. Gabrielle was green in the face and Xena escorted her away from the scene below. "Where's Pascal?"

Ellac shrugged his shoulders.

She ran down the stairs into the foyer and Rabia looked at her dead husband on the steps outside. Gabrielle, still a bit uneasy, followed her and Kreka stared at Balasz and the blood dripping down the staircase. She looked at Xena and the silence from Rabia was unsettling.

"I'm sorry," Kreka said.

Rabia frowned. "Don't be sorry." She never took her eyes off her husband. "He was a coward and a piece of a shit. He only married me because of my status. He never loved me."

Xena puckered her lips, feeling rather awkward in the middle of this situation and Gabrielle rubbed the back of neck, staring at the wood floors.

"Perhaps it is better that Farah was taken by Csaba so she wouldn't have to marry Pascal and be stuck in a loveless marriage like I was." she finally said the truth that lay deep within her but never wanted to admit it. She was focused on her sister marrying with her own people that she never stopped to think that maybe that wasn't the best idea for her in the end.

"Well, this is all very nice but I have to find Pascal. Have either of you seen him?" Xena asks.

"He probably left. They were adamant about killing my father."

"Right." Xena trailed down the steps and stared at the general in disgust. "Coming Gabrielle?" she turned.

The governor eyed the bloody general and took in a deep breath. "Right behind you…" she quickly ran down the stairs passing by Xena, ignoring the contorted corpse.

* * *

The men that Balmaq captured were the shaman Huns from Ebnedzar's tribe that was searching for Csaba and Farah. Boareks killed four out of the five men and kept one in her tent so she could use him for questioning. So far she had gotten a few things from him. He revealed that he was in fact a Hun and he lived in Pannonia but that's it. Kutilzis was instructed by his mother to beat the information out of the shaman Hun.

She sat in a chair and watched her youngest son whip the Hun's backside. "Do it again." She ordered and Kutilzis cracked the whip on the man's back and watched him moan in sheer agony. "This is going to get more painful for you, Hun. I've killed your entourage so you might as well give me what I want."

" _Siktir_!" He spat a wad of blood at her feet and she sighed.

"What a nice word," she chuckled. "Give me my sword,  _shirin_   _bola_." She wiggled her fingers and Kutilzis handed her the said blade. She stood up and stood in front of the Hun. "What are you doing in this territory? Huns are not friends with Gokturks."

He breathed in and out deeply, staring up into her dark eyes.

She knelt down and held the sword to his throat. "Tell me what you were you doing or I'll ransack the entire White Hun empire right here, right now."

His eyes grew in fear. He knew how much Navaz meant to the king and queen back in Pannonia. He also didn't want to reveal his purpose but he couldn't find Csaba and Farah so what made him think that this woman could find them if she wanted to?

"We were looking for someone." He reveals vaguely.

Boareks smiled. "Who were you looking for?"

He held his tongue.

"Someone in Pannonia is missing? Is it someone important? Someone part of the royal family perhaps?" she inquired and saw his eyes flicker. "So it is someone from the family. Who is it? A queen?" she held the blade against his throat since he refused to talk. "The White Hun kingdom is in your hands. If you don't tell me what I need to know I will kill them all."

"A prince," he finally said and felt like he betrayed his leaders and knew he was going to die anyway.

She nodded and stood then handed the sword back to her son. "A prince," she sat down and rubbed her chin. "Who does the prince belong to? Kreka?" she asked and he kept staring at her with a blank face. "Fairuza?" she narrows her eyes. "Can't be Tuya because she only has one son. Oh wait, I know who…" she grinned. "Queen Anastasia."

The Hun's eyes remained focused and he did not reveal anything but knew that the Sabir woman had guessed it right.

"Anastasia has a son and two daughters. Well, this is very useful information." She grabbed her cloak and threw it over her shoulders. "Kill him," she instructed her son.

Kutilzis' mouth parted and she snatched the sword from him and stabbed the Hun through the throat without hesitation. He stood dumbfounded and she kicked the Hun down onto the rug.

"You react too slowly,  _shirin_   _bola_. You will never be a great king until you learn the ways of the sword. Get rid of this swine. I have a prince to find. I will take Balmaq with me." She smiled and pecked his cheek then exited her tent.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – _Kinship_

The commander and governor were hot on Pascal's trail, riding through the woods outside of Pannonia. Xena ducked down and increased the horse's galloping. Gabrielle rode beside her and grabbed the rope around her belt loop and tossed it over to Xena who gladly took it and threw it over Pascal's neck and yanked him off the horse and he trampled on the field. He croaked and struggled to stop the rope from choking him to death.

He lifts his eyes once the dragging stopped. There she was. Trying to get away, she stomped on his chest and snickered at the wiggling Banat commander. Gabrielle pulled out her Sais from her boots and saw the fear in the man's eyes. He had no idea that he was going to be found out and he also didn't know that the Hun governor and commander were going to find him.

Xena knelt down and touched the soft cheek of the young man. "Just to let you know…" she says in a calm soothing voice, "Balasz is dead." All color drained from his face. "Oh but I didn't do it don't you worry. He jumped out of the window on the second floor. Instant death!" her eyes sparkled and Gabrielle kicked her thigh so she wouldn't get distracted.

"Anyway," she clears her throat. "You were on your way to assassinate the Czar weren't you?" she covered his mouth. "Don't answer that. Rabia told us everything. You are very lucky that she cares so much about you that she wanted you brought back alive! I will respect her decision because she is a guest and you are not…a Hun but once she's finished with you, you belong to me."

She uncovered his mouth and he tries to loosen the noose. "Why do you care if the Czar dies or not? You said it yourself. You are not one of us!"

"Because whether you like it or not, my king who happens to be my son in law is very kind. If I were in charge you'd be dead already." She bats her lashes.

"Your grandson stole my fiancée away from me!"

Gabrielle stabbed her Sais through his palm and he yelled out in agonizing horror. Even Xena was shocked by that move. "Csaba would make a better husband than you any day." She pulled the Sais out and he bit his bottom lip and glanced at his bloody palm. "Put him on the horse before I do something I might regret."

Xena smiled and hoisted him up and pulled the noose tightly. "Must do what the lady says." She winked at the governor.

* * *

Two weeks later, Pascal was put under arrest inside the armory where Xena watched him during the day. Per Ellac's orders she was not allowed to torture him anymore after the first few days when he saw the damage she had done to his face and lower limbs. She was content with what she had done and decided to watch him while snacking on food.

While Gabrielle was busy in the Adame she barely spent any time with Xena and that wasn't out of the ordinary. On one of her less busy days she walked into the armor and Xena was lounging with her boots propped up on a table, writing down a few notes to combat Boareks. That woman was on everyone's radar but so far she had been laying low.

"Xena," she knocked on the table and the commander leaned backward in the chair. "I have some very exciting news." She hinted and squeezed her shoulders from behind. "Guess who's here?"

"Anastasia?" she swiftly turned in the chair with a big smile on her face and Gabrielle nodded. She got up and stared at Pascal bound to the chair and gagged.

"You know, now that Anastasia is back, does that mean you'll stop acting…weird."

Xena frowned and put on her black cloak. "I'm not acting weird."

"You are. You're obsessed with Boareks. I don't want you to make that your life. We'll find her but we find her together. We're a team. We always have been and I feel like you've forgotten that –that you've forgotten about me."

Xena tilts her head and lifts the blonde's chin. "I'm sorry Gabrielle. I don't want you to think that I've forgotten about you. I think about you all the time. You're always on my mind. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." She snubs her partner and Xena cupped her cheek.

"I know you are. You're the best person I know." She pulled her in for a side hug and Gabrielle winced, feeling the air barely able to escape from her lungs. "Come on, I can't wait to see Ana and the girls." She pulled her along and Gabrielle fumbled along.

* * *

Arielle jumped off her mother's horse and lay on the warm grass, staring up at the blue sky. Leila smirked and leaned over the princess. "I love this place!" she shouts to the skies. "I'm so glad to be back!"

"I'm sure you are," Xena says and Arielle sat up.

"Grandma!" she ran over and wrapped her arms around Xena's waist and smashed the side of her face in her body. "I missed you a lot!"

"I missed you too now get off." She pried Arielle's arms off and smiled at her. She walked over to the person she had been waiting to see for months. Anastasia grinned and wrapped her arms around her neck, squeezing her tightly.

Gabrielle swayed back and forth on her heels. "Ahem." She alerts the two having a moment together.

"Gabrielle," Ana hugged her second most favorite person. "You've been keeping an eye on my mother, right?"

"Hey, I'm not a child."

"Of course," Gabrielle whispers and winks. "How is Cera doing? Where is she?"

Ursula helped the little redhead princess out of the caravan and smiled at everyone. She waved and Gabrielle looked over at the solemn look on Xena's face. She half expected to see anger in Xena's eyes for what Boareks did to her granddaughter but she wasn't. Perhaps it was because she actually saw her granddaughter for the first time in a while and realized that anger wasn't the way to solve this problem. If Boareks wasn't stopped then she would keep going and going until every single person in the empire was deceased.

Anastasia pulled her daughter close. "She can't talk yet but she's feeling much better. Right, Cera?"

The princess nodded and stretched her arms outward to her grandmother. Xena tried to put on a happy smile and knelt down to embrace her.

Gabrielle pulled Ana aside. "So, what happened?"

"That Sabir queen came in and threatened to kill Cera because I had her son. Cera tried to escape and the sword accidently slit her throat." She watched her mother talking to Cera quietly on the grass.

"We've been trying to follow her pattern but nothing adds up with her. She attacked Banat and she moved her army away from Theodoric's camp –"

Ana interrupted, "she's working with the Visigoths?"

"And Justinian." Gabrielle adds. "There's a lot you don't know. It's a really long story."

The queen looked at her daughter sitting on her mother's lap, nodding her head several times while her mother kept asking questions. "I have time."

* * *

Within the king's quarters, Gabrielle, Xena and Anastasia sat on the floor in a circle together. Kreka Khatun was present for only a couple of hours until she retired for the evening. Anastasia was glad that the Czarina of Banat was more amenable and nicer since she was in Pannonia. She also noticed that Rabia was helping Kreka a lot which probably got on the khatun's nerves but she did need help for the meantime.

Ellac laid on a pile of pillows with Cera laying on him and Arielle curled under his arm. The three had been asleep for the last few hours while Gabrielle explained every detail about Queen Boareks and her three sons that have been terrorizing the Huns and Banats during Ana's absence.

The queen's eyes lingered on her daughters sleeping soundly with Ellac and a hand waved in her face. "Sorry," she looked at Gabrielle.

"He missed you," she nudged her head at the king.

Xena spat out some grape seeds on the floor and picked through the bowl of assorted fruits. "All of the men were going a little crazy without their wives," she says with a snicker. "Guess they finally realized that you women are more important than they care to admit."

Anastasia rolled her eyes and slapped her mother's hand and scooted the fruit bowl away. "And how did you do without me, mother?"

Gabrielle folded her arms and Xena eyed her daughter with a mouth full of grapes. "I was fine."

"You didn't lose control?" she asks but that question was geared more towards Gabrielle because she knew her mother was known to not tell the whole truth.

"She didn't kill anyone so I suppose that's a plus," comments Gabrielle while receiving a vicious glare from the commander. "We had a couple of run-ins with Queen Boareks but we weren't able to catch her."

The queen bows her head. "She's very good at what she does. I traveled to Scythia and Magyar territory but couldn't find her. If she intercepted the message that Navaz sent about the Chinese attacking the Nezaks then that means she was in Balaam lurking…" she crinkled her pants and frowned. "Like a snake." She groaned loudly. "She was right under my nose!"

"Join the club." Xena snagged the grapes off the vine and scooped them into her mouth. "She's going to attack again."

Gabrielle nodded. "She's playing possum right now."

"She couldn't have gone far. I told Navaz to be on high alert." She grabbed her dagger and stabbed a pomegranate and smiled at the governor, offering her a piece of the fruit to which Gabrielle kindly refused. She split open the round fruit and scooped the seeds out with the edge of her dagger. "I hope nobody minds that I brought Soran and Tuya. I didn't want them to stay in Balaam in case that woman attacked."

"Just tell Tuya to stay ten feet away from me and there won't be any problems." Xena tells her daughter with a malicious grin.

"Mother, she is Arielle's grandmother."

"Don't remind me."

"You know," she snickers and Gabrielle frowns at the queen, knowing that laugh all too well. Just like her mother the older she became. "I broke Tuya's nose."

"Anastasia!" Gabrielle reprimanded, trying to sound like a concerned aunt. She leans in and whispers, "did she deserve it?"

Ana looked sheepish and licked her fingers. "Not really. I was very upset and she just happened to be the first thing in my way."

"I've wanted to punch her in the face for years." Xena tossed the empty grapevine over her shoulder. She clamped her hands together. "There should be a faceoff between Kreka and Tuya. A fight between queen mothers. It will be great."

Gabrielle slapped her arm. "I think we've had enough injured people already. But…I would place my bet on Kreka." She mischievously says.

"I don't know; have you seen Tuya with a sword?" Ana's eyes widened remembering the torture session she had with Kutilzis. The look on her mother's face suggested that she did not want to continue this conversation and her little game was no longer amusing.

"Well," she wiped her dagger on her pants. "I am going to the baths. I think I can trust Ellac with the girls," she eyes the three on the pillows and Ellac's mouth was ajar, sleeping heavily and Cera had her arm draped around his shoulder and Arielle's leg over his.

* * *

Only a few days after Anastasia arrived, Xena was in a much better mood from what Gabrielle could see. The Adame certainly felt like home again with all the women back in their rightful rooms and the sound of children filled the entire home which was definitely missed by everyone. Even though everyone seemed be in lighter spirits, Anastasia dove right into her work and conducted several private meetings with Ellac to decide what to do about Boareks.

Surprisingly, Gabrielle was given the next few days off per Ana's orders. She suddenly didn't know what to do with herself and Xena was also at a loss of words when her daughter dismissed her from her duties for awhile. She didn't complain as she was glad that some of the weight was lifted off her shoulders. Though, there was something missing.

Gabrielle always did what Xena wanted to do when they had spare time together. This time she wanted to spend time with her doing something she loved. After she rounded up the necessary supplies she met Xena in the foyer. The commander immediately eyed the basket filled with suspicious things such as sheers, fabric and other things that she did not like.

"What is this?" Xena picked up some of the burgundy fabric in her hands.

"We're going to do some sewing today!" cheered Gabrielle.

"Gabrielle…" she sighed and the blonde pouted. "Can't we go hunting or something?"

She frowns and pulls the fabric away and tucked it into the basket. "No! We're not going hunting. We always do what you want to do. I want to make a headdress for myself. Everyone has one except me. Even you." She tapped the coin headdress which Xena wore on a daily basis.

"I'm the governor so I should have a special headdress too. You said that I am part of the family so I think I earned the right to wear one. I really would like your help. You're very good at sewing."

Xena folded her arms. "I thought you said Kreka was a better seamstress than me."

"Did I say that?" she chuckled nervously. "I meant you. Come on, Xena. It will be fun! I even got a lot beads that we could use. What do you think? Should I use the blue ones or green?"

She leaned over at the assortment of beads and pointed at the green ones. "They will match your eyes."

Above them on the second floor Leila was screaming across the hall and they looked up and saw Leila throwing Dengi's clothes over the balcony and onto the foyer floor. Gabrielle and Xena stepped aside and Leila kept throwing clothes and then picked up a big chest of jewelry and tossed it over the railing. Dengi was following his wife, trying to explain himself and Gabrielle tapped her chin.

"Why does this look so familiar…" she muttered.

Xena kept bobbing her head up and down watching the clothes and jewelry fall over the balcony. Soon the others downstairs began to gather around to watch the squabble upstairs. "I didn't know that little thing could evoke such anger…" she spoke of Leila who continually threw things over the balcony.

Anastasia and Ellac stormed out of their quarters downstairs and looked up at the clothes falling right before their eyes. "What the hell is going on?" Ana walked outward and stared at Leila and Dengi fighting on the balcony. "Stop this!"

Leila glared at the queen. "Stay out of this Anastasia!"

"Oh she's really mad," Xena says and chuckles at the shock on her daughter's face. "Best to stay out of the woman's way, Ana. Dengi had an affair while you were gone."

Anastasia slowly turned to her husband. "And you didn't do anything about this?"

Ellac eyed all three of the women and felt lower than low right about now. "What? That's my brother's wife. I am not going to interfere in their life!"

Ernak walked over with Bakkah and eyed his brother getting chewed out by his petite wife. He smiled and Bakkah frowned, a bit disgusted at her husband for finding this amusing. "Punch him in the face, Leila!"

"Oh please," Ana rolls her eyes. "Leila!" she called out and the princess stopped arguing with Dengi. "Take this argument somewhere else and clean this mess up." She kicked the clothes and jewelry. "I don't have time to deal with this."

She marched off and pulled Ellac's arm and he leapt forward, hurrying behind her. Kreka came out into the foyer and eyed all of the clothes. Gabrielle looked at the confused queen mother and nudged Xena.

"Oh now I know why this is so familiar!" Gabrielle blurts out and smiles. She pointed to the khatun, "you chucked out all of Attila's belongings outside after you found out about Kriemhild." She laughs, reminiscing on the scene she witnessed so long ago. "You were so angry! I heard you screaming all the way from Xena's yurt!"

Kreka narrowed her eyes and Gabrielle's laughter slowly faded and she scratched her head.

"Are we going to make this headdress or what?" she anxiously turned to Xena to avoid the penetrating glare from behind.

"I think I'd rather watch this." Xena smiles at the bickering couple.

"I'd rather not…" she looks over her shoulder at the furious khatun. "Can we go now? She's staring at me!"

Xena smirked at her long time friend. "What's she going to do? Hit you with her cane?"

"Xena!" she hisses. "Don't give her any ideas! Let's just go, okay?"

* * *

Csaba rolled out of bed and drank the rest of the day old wine. He decided not to engage in any parties recently with Wang because he was too busy interrogating the Gokturks for the last couple of weeks. He got the feeling that the Gokturks weren't telling the truth but he tried to get the truth out of them every single day but it wasn't working. He was also beginning to believe that Emperor Liu didn't trust him anymore due to the lack of information he kept giving him.

He didn't understand why the Gokturks left their mountains but he knew something was wrong. Gokturks don't just leave their territory for no reason. He poured a new glass of wine for himself and took a huge swig of it. He smelled a scent of musk and an arm wrapped around his shoulder.

Farah pressed her body against his and kissed his neck. "Good morning," she whispered.

"Morning," he kissed her hand.

She slipped the wine from his hands and sipped it then sat back against the pillows, exposing her ample breasts and lifted her slender leg. He turned around and gazed into her green eyes. She swooped the black kaftan over her bare body and swirled the wine glass.

"So…I hate to bring this up again. I know you're very busy with the emperor and I don't mind living in China but…I really think we should go back to Pannonia."

Csaba frowned and now the mood was killed instantly. "Why do you want to go back so badly? I have a lot of duties here in China. The emperor is relying on me."

Farah sat up and set the wine on the table. "I just want to marry you Csaba."

"I know you do. I want to marry you too but we can't go back yet!" he stood and tousled his long hair.

"But Csaba you don't understand." She crawled on her knees across the bed and held the kaftan together. "I really think we should get married. I know our cultures are different but I want to be married to you before we start a family."

His mouth parted. "Excuse me?" he folded his arms. "A family? Farah I don't want a child right now."

"Really?" she ran her hand down her chest and stomach. "You don't like children?"

He slapped his forehead and knelt down, cupping her face. "Yes I do. I helped my mother raise my sisters."

"So you want to have children with me?" her eyes lit up.

The prince could tell she was being overly excited and that made his stomach churn. "Yes."

And there was that sporadic energy that he knew so well. She squealed and pressed her lips against his. "Great! Because I'm pregnant." She leaned back on her elbows and the kaftan slid off her bare body and she saw the horror in his eyes. "I'm so excited! We can go back to Pannonia and then we can get married then we will have our baby. What do you think, Csaba?" she rest her leg on his shoulder.

"Okay…"

"You're not excited." She got the feeling by the look on his face.

He sat on the bed and laced his fingers together. He thought of his father and what he must have felt like. It was different for his parents though. They had their family with them but now he was all alone without his mother, father, and grandmother to help him.

"Csaba, say something." She scooted to the edge of the bed and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"Sorry. You just caught me off guard." He tries to show that he was excited but he couldn't hide from her. "My mother is going to murder me. Oh no, my grandmother is definitely going to kill me!"

She chuckled and pinched his arm. "No they won't. You're overreacting, Csaba! We could just not tell them for awhile?"

He laughs heartily. "Farah, you won't be able to hide the baby from my mother or any other woman in my family for that matter. They can smell pregnant women from miles away!" he joked with her and she stared at him, now with a look terror. "I'm just kidding. Sort of…"

"Well…I…I don't know anything about babies, Csaba. My mother died when I was little and I've never been around children before!"

He covered her mouth. "I'll help you. My mother will help you too." He kissed her cheek and she breathed out slowly. He poked her ribcage that was very prominent in her small frame. "You're very thin." He smirks.

"I do eat." She said self consciously.

"I know but you should eat more." He looked at her flat stomach. "Do you…feel alright?" and she nods. "Good." He smiled and paddled her thigh. "My mother was very sick with my sisters, especially Arielle!" he laughs lightly. "She complained the entire time that she was fat."

Farah smirked. " _Your_  mother? She's not anything close to fat."

"No but when she was pregnant with my sister Arielle she had a really hard time. I remember she was always confined to a chair." He explains and sees the horror on Farah's face. He smiles and ran his fingers through her hair. "You'll be fine. I'll be here for you." He squeezed her hand. "I will…talk to the emperor and see if it is alright that we can go back to Pannonia for awhile."

"That's a relief. I didn't want to give birth to our baby in China. I'd much rather be with your family. They are very nice to me."

Csaba was more worried about the reaction from his parents when he told them that he was the general of China instead of telling them about the baby. He figured that his mother wouldn't react like his grandmother and she would be very civil but lately, he wasn't on best terms with either of the women in his life.

* * *

Anastasia sat across from her governor and mother while Ellac, Ernak and Dengizich sat together in a circle with the women. Ana drew a circle around Kazakhstan. "Mother I have a mission for you. Since the message about China attacking the Nezaks never reached Pannonia I want you to go to the border of China and Kazakhstan and scout it."

Xena smiled and wriggled her eyebrows at Gabrielle. "How many men can I take with me?"

"I don't care. As many as you want. Just get it done." Ana placed her pen on Gokturk territory in the Caucasus Mountains. "Gabrielle, I want you to send spies to scout this area. The Gokturks have left the mountains and I don't know where they've gone."

"Ernak and Dengi will be in charge of rebuilding Banat." She says to the brothers and they nod. Dengi refused to look at her and she frowned at his blackened eye. "Did Leila do that to you?"

"Yes…" he covered his eye and Ernak chortled. "I said I was sorry!"

Anastasia groaned and waved her hand. "It's no wonder that Gabrielle took your positions away from you." She turns and slapped her husband's thigh. "Smoking opium? Really Ellac. You know I don't like that stuff."

"She told you?!" he griped.

"It's her job to inform me about everything that goes on around here. Anyway, you and I will stay in Pannonia and we'll round up the Akitziri and bring them here. I don't want that woman to destroy another one of our tribes."

"Pannonia is going to be very crowded. Should we invite the Banat people too?" he folds his arms.

"If it comes down to it…" she directs her attention to the governor. "You will go with my mother to Kazakhstan. Find out everything you can and then help Bey Malka. Only come back when you're finished finding every detail about the Chinese invasion."

Gabrielle took down notes and asked, "and we don't go into China, right?"

"No, absolutely not! Do not go into China." She glared at her mother.

Xena frowned. "I didn't say anything."

"Just want to make sure you're paying attention, mother."

"I'm here, aren't I?" she raises her palms and Anastasia sighed deeply.

"Alright then. Everyone has their duties so I will leave you to it."

* * *

Arielle and Cera took refuge in their grandmother's yurt for the evening. They were constantly hearing Leila arguing with Dengi and didn't want to be in the Adame at the moment. Also, Ana and Ellac left immediately after the meeting to go to Akitziri so they were alone, despite all the women that were available to take care of them.

Arielle sat in front of her grandmother, having her long curly hair brushed and combed for the last few hours. Xena was more frustrated with Arielle's hair than she was about the mission ahead of her and Gabrielle. She never had to deal with a mass of curls before given that Ana's hair was pin straight just like hers. She racked the comb through Arielle's hair and broke the handle.

Gabrielle was braiding Cera's hair and saw the concern on Xena's face. "Is there a problem?"

"Um," she fished through Arielle's large mane and tugged on the teeth of the comb. The princess winced and put her hands on her head. She finally pried the curls out of the comb and tucked it underneath her thigh to hide the evidence. "Everything's fine." She reassured her granddaughter.

Arielle pouted and crossed her arms. "Grandma Tuya is right. I look like a sheep!"

This was one of the times when Cera wished she could laugh aloud but grinned at her sister's demise. Gabrielle stifled a laugh and continued braiding the redheaded princess' hair. Xena grabbed the bottle of oil and poured a generous amount in her palm and then spread it throughout Arielle's curls, determined to tame the mane.

"I should chop off my hair. It's so annoying."

"You have pretty hair, Arielle. I just need…to fix it." Xena cocked her head and felt useless. The oil wasn't doing very much at all and the comb was out of the question as was the brush. "I don't know who you got this hair from."

Arielle grumbled and felt a lot of tugging on her scalp. "It's pointless! I'm gonna be a sheep forever!"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm working on it."

"Grandma." She paused. "You've been  _working_   _on_   _it_  for hours."

Xena rubbed her chin and then leaned in close to her distraught granddaughter. "How about a nice bun instead?" she grinned and began wrapping Arielle's hair and coiled it on top of her head. Cera's eyes widened and Gabrielle bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh. The bun was nearly the size of Arielle's head and definitely wasn't very tame at all. The curls fell out of the bun and the frizz around her scalp was no help either.

"Xena you can't let her outside looking like that. Maybe we should switch?" Gabrielle offered.

"No! I'm going to fix this!" she remained determined and unraveled Arielle's mound of curls and stared at it intensely. "I'm going to need another comb."

Arielle gasped. "Another one?! What happened to the one you were using?"

Her grandmother smiled. "It broke." She pulled out the broken comb and the princess slapped her hands over her face. "Don't worry  _tatli_   _kiz_ , I got this."

"No you don't."

"I can fix this!" she kissed her forehead. She got up and began searching through her vanity to find another comb.

Arielle looked at Gabrielle hopelessly. "Do you and grandma really have to leave?"

Gabrielle nodded and finished up the last of the braid and pat Cera's shoulder to indicate she was done. "I'm afraid so but we won't be gone for a long time."

"That's what you always say." She shook her head and fluffed her curls and smiled, peeking through the strands. "I miss Csaba," she admits and Cera nodded, agreeing silently. "Why did he run away? Was he upset at mother?"

"I'm not sure."

"Is he going to come back?" she pulled the strands away from her face and Gabrielle shrugged her shoulder.

Xena came back with two different kinds of oil and three combs she found in her vanity and sat behind Arielle. "Okay I think I know what to do now. So just sit still and don't move!" she yanked her granddaughter's head back and parted it down the middle.

Gabrielle looked at the long brown comb and placed her hands on her hips. "Is that  _my_  comb?" her question was ignored by her partner. "Xena, come on!"

"This is a dire situation, Gabrielle." she jested.

"Sorry Gabby. My hair is just out of control." Arielle giggled and then felt a hard tug on her head. "Grandma!"

"Would you rather have Tuya do your hair?"

Arielle mumbled, "maybe."

Xena frowned and pulled on the princess' curls and she yelped.

Ernak walked into the yurt and stood outside the bedroom. "Are you ladies decent?" he asked.

"Yes, Ernak," Gabrielle called out. He strode in and took a good look at Arielle's hair and cringed.

"Whoa…" he said and the princess gasped then looked up at her grandmother.

"It's a work in progress." Xena turned her granddaughter's head to face forward. "What do you need, Ernak?"

"Well," he began and she kept combing through the nest of curls. "This is going to sound very strange but someone is here to see you." She gave him a nasty look. "I don't know who she is but she really wants to see you. She says that she knows who Boareks is and she can help you."

Xena dropped the comb and stood up, completely forgetting about Arielle's hair. "Who is she? Is she a Sabir?"

The prince fiddled with his fingers. "No…she's a Hun. She says she knew Borias. That's Anastasia's father, right?"

She rushed out of the room and pushed him into the wall. Gabrielle grabbed her cloak and gripped Ernak's shoulder. "Could you watch them? I'm going to follow Xena."

He sighed and looked at the two princesses. "Ladies," he raised his eyebrows. "How's the hair coming?"

"Shut up Ernak." Arielle growled.

* * *

Xena ran outside and a woman with a long black braid and olive colored skin was sitting on her horse with a few women by her side. Gabrielle ran up beside her and stared at the dark eyed woman. Xena studied her for awhile and couldn't put a face to her at all. She had no idea who this woman was.

The woman jumped off her horse and walked towards the suspicious commander. "Xena. So nice to finally meet you." She held out her hand. "My name is Busra. I traveled a very long way to see you."

Xena refused to shake the woman's hand and narrowed her eyes. "Ernak said you knew Borias."

Busra bowed her head. "Yes. He is my older brother. I left the Akitziri tribe long before you came along. I moved to Siberia to marry one of Boareks' cousins. Borias arranged it when I was very young. I hear that Queen Boareks has been attacking the tribes."

Xena kept staring at the woman who claimed to be Borias' sister and she saw much of him in her. Although her face was much softer but she had the same nose and dark eyes and strong jaw. "Borias never spoke of a sister."

She smirked. "I'm sure he didn't. We didn't talk after I moved to Siberia to live with the Sabirs."

Gabrielle didn't like the sound of this. Boareks had spies everywhere and she wasn't sure if Busra was one of them or not. "How do we know that you won't attack us?"

"I am not a Sabir," Busra said with a sour tone. "I married one but that doesn't make me one. I know you don't want to trust me, Xena. We don't even know each other, but I could help you. I know Boareks very well. I lived with her for a long time. I even helped her deliver her youngest son."

Xena's eyes widened.

"She is a horrible woman. She's only gotten so powerful because her husband died last year. She plans to take over the Steppes and Balkans." She could see that she wasn't getting through to her. "I saw her when I was traveling here. She's in Persia."

"Excuse us," Gabrielle smiled and dragged Xena a fair distance away. "Do you believe her?"

Xena eyed the supposed sister of Borias and quirked her mouth. "She looks like him. She even sounds like him. I don't know what to do."

"She could be killed if she's caught here. Maybe we should let her help. We don't have anything on Boareks and if she's in Persia we can find her on our way to Kazakhstan."

The two convene and walked back over to Busra who was patiently waiting on the sidelines. Xena sighed and folded her arms. "I will let you help. My daughter will be returning from Akitziri in a couple of days."

Busra's eyes lit up. "You have a daughter?"

Gabrielle and Xena shared a look. They guessed these Sabirs were living under a rock. "Yes…" she answers softly. "Borias' daughter."

She grinned from ear to ear. "Really? I didn't know my brother had a daughter."

Arielle stomped out of the yurt with her wild hair and Cera held onto Ernak's hand. Busra eyed the little girls and Arielle tugged on Xena's hand. "What's the hold up? Did you forget about my hair?!" she pointed to her messy mane then eyed the woman who kept gawking at her. "Who's this?"

"This is your mother's aunt." Xena introduced. "Her name is Busra."

Arielle stepped forward, scanning the tall woman. "Nice to meet you," she held out her hand and Busra had a smile for days and shook the princess' hand. "I'm Arielle and that's my sister, Cera." She pointed behind her. "My brother isn't here right now because he –" Xena covered her mouth and she kept talking in her muffled voice.

"Your daughter's children are very sweet." Busra said. "I would like to meet your daughter. What is her name?"

"Anastasia," Gabrielle answered for her partner. "Would you like to see the Adame and meet Kreka Khatun?"

Busra frowned. "Attila's wife? She's still alive?"

Xena sneers. "Oh she's alive alright." She picked up the grumpy Arielle and walked with Gabrielle and Busra towards the home ahead.

* * *

Csaba was pleased to hear that Emperor Liu granted him to leave China and return to Pannonia for awhile like Farah wanted. He walked into the bedroom with a big smile on his face and couldn't wait to tell Farah the great news. He eyed the bed and saw she was not there like he expected her to be.

"Farah!" he called out. Walking around, he stepped over a few kaftans lying on the floor and heard her moaning in the other room. "Farah?" he rounded the corner and found her sitting on the floor with her head leaning over a bucket.

She pushed the bucket away and leaned her back against the wall. The prince smiled softly and sat down next to her then wiped some saliva off her chin. "I thought you said you were fine," he teased.

She shoved him lightly and rubbed her sweaty forehead. "That was last week."

"Mhm." He crossed his legs and gathered her long hair and put it behind her shoulders. "Good news. The emperor is allowing us to leave. It will take us a long time to get back to Pannonia. Are you ready for that journey?"

Farah lolled her head and frowned at him. "I've been in here for hours. Make it stop."

He chuckled and rubbed her queasy stomach. "Wish I could. I can get you some tea if you want?" he offered and she nods slowly. He picked her up in his arms and walked over to the bed and laid her down gently. He sat down and kept staring at her silken face.

"What?"

"Nothing. You look very beautiful."

Her lip quivered. "No I don't. I look terrible, Csaba. What a horrible liar you are!" she kicked him and he grabbed her ankle.

"No you don't. You'll always look beautiful to me."

She wrapped her arm under her breasts and looked at the goofy smile on his face. "No matter what? Even after what's going to happen to my body."

He ran his hand across her slender leg. "Like I said, you'll always be beautiful to me." He wasn't stupid enough to say something she might find offensive later. He learned that being around many pregnant women throughout his life. "When do you want to leave? We can leave tomorrow if you want."

"Tomorrow is fine I guess. Is your mother going to be upset?"

"I hope not but we'll see. You can see the midwife when we arrive in Pannonia. She will take good care of you."

She sat up and kissed his lips gingerly. "Thank you for staying with me."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, thank you for not leaving me."

He pulled away and her eyes lingered in his. "I would never do that. My grandmother and mother raised me better than that. They would probably disown me if I left you." He pinched her cheek and she lightly hit his arm.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Busra explained everything she knew about Queen Boareks to Xena, Gabrielle and Kreka within Kreka's bedroom. Gabrielle watched the woman who was supposedly Borias' sister the entire time while she spoke. She gave very specific incidents that she encountered with the deadly Sabir queen. Gabrielle could tell that Xena was very eager to ask Busra many questions and not just about Boareks. It was very strange that she suddenly appeared at a time like this.

The Sabirs were not well known to the rest of the world but certainly Borias knew about them and that meant Attila probably did too. Gabrielle listened through to the woman for the last couple of hours and normally she had several questions to ask but this time she stayed quiet and allowed the commander and queen mother to ask the pertinent questions.

She couldn't understand why Busra traveled all this way to Pannonia to alert everyone about Queen Boareks. She didn't trust her even though she claimed to be the younger sister of Borias. Gabrielle never knew Borias and what kind of a man he was. Obviously Busra didn't know anything about Xena and she didn't even know Anastasia existed until a few hours ago. The Sabirs were definitely a secluded type of people and the more Busra revealed about the snow people, the more suspicious Gabrielle became.

That evening, Busra was dismissed from the khatun's quarters and now it was just the three of them. Kreka and Xena continued talking but Gabrielle sat in a chair beside her partner, contemplating and digesting all the information that poured from Busra's mouth.

"She gave a lot of important information about Boareks," commented Kreka and Xena agreed.

Gabrielle frowned at the two and blurted out, "I don't trust her."

Xena felt somewhat insulted and looked at the blonde. "Why not? She gave us more than we needed. She didn't come here with a brigade. She came here with women."

"You honestly believe that a person who spent that many years living with those people would still be loyal to the Huns?" she questioned and Xena leaned back in the chair, scowling at her. "We don't even know if she really is Borias' sister. She could be lying."

"She sounds just like him, Gabrielle! You've never met Borias. If she says she is related to him then I believe her. Borias was very honest unlike me."

Gabrielle shifted in the chair uncomfortably and turned her cheek. "Are you sure you're not just blinded by the idea of her being his sister? It's not like you can ask him if she is his sister. You said it yourself that he never mentioned having a sister before."

"I'm sure she has a good explanation for that." Xena defended Busra.

"Xena! She showed up after Boareks destroyed the Khazar and Atlyn Huns! Now Boareks is in Persia which could be a lie for all we know! I don't trust Busra."

Xena stood up and stared down at her partner. "If she wanted to attack us then she would have already. It is clear who the real villain is here. It's Boareks not Busra."

"If Borias really did marry her off then he knew about the Sabirs long before you came to Akitziri! Even Fairuza knew who they were which means Attila knew too!" she glared at the silent khatun.

"I didn't know anything about the Sabirs…" Kreka admitted and felt awkward while the two argued.

"What are you saying, Gabrielle?"

"I'm just saying that it's odd that she shows up after all this time. She could have come here anytime but she didn't. Very convenient timing if you ask me." She crosses her arms and remained firm about her opinion.

Xena clenched her fist several times and glared at Gabrielle. "You weren't there when I gave birth to my daughter by myself only to have Attila bring Borias' sword to me. I knew I was going to be alone from then on out and then Attila's wife, Cera, died a few months later. We were both alone. Busra is the only thing I have left of Borias. Why do you have to take that away from me?"

She snatched up the headdress lying on the bed and placed it on her head then stormed out. Gabrielle's leg was bumped and flinched when the door slammed. Kreka smoothed her hands across the silk sheets and eyed the conflicted governor.

"She…seems hurt," those were words that Kreka never thought she'd say about Xena.

"Well it's not like I planned on hurting her feelings!" Gabrielle growls. "She's making this too personal. You don't think it's strange that Busra appeared after decades of being absent?"

Kreka shrugged a shoulder and had no smart remarks. "I'm not saying you shouldn't be concerned, Gabrielle, but Borias was the father of her daughter. She feels a connection with Busra over someone she lost. Just keep that in mind."

* * *

The next two days, Busra was put up in one of the guest rooms per Kreka's orders, despite Gabrielle's distrust for the woman. Busra was more preoccupied with Arielle and Cera in the women's quarters and Gabrielle had her eye on the woman the entire time she was with the princesses.

Arielle showed Busra the entire Adame and was especially excited about showing her new aunt her bedroom. Cera still couldn't talk but followed her sister everywhere and Arielle did all the talking for the both of them. Now all three sat in the center of the women's room, sharing a tray of tea and sweets together.

"So, was my grandfather nice?" asks Arielle.

Busra thought long and hard how to answer the child. "Yes, he was." she definitely wasn't going to tell her the things that Borias used to do for King Rua. That was the last time she saw her brother and never heard from him again due to her marriage and seclusion in the mountains of Siberia.

Arielle nods and sips the hot tea. "I wish I could have met him. My grandma never talks about him."

"I'm sure he would have loved you." She pinches the princess' chin and looks over at Cera who was complacent. "And what happened to you,  _tatli_   _kiz_?" she took notice of the bandages around the girl's throat.

"The Sabir lady did that," Arielle grips the glass to the point of breaking it.

Busra's heart dropped and she saw the solemn look on Cera's face. "Queen Boareks did that to you?" she leans forward and Cera nods. "I'm sorry that she did that to you. She's not a good person. She doesn't like children."

Cera gasps and grips her sore throat. Arielle set down her glass and stared at her great aunt. "Are you going to help my grandma find that lady?"

"I'm going to try as best I can."

Gabrielle sat at the entrance of the room and Anastasia walked in. She stood up and saw the look on Ana's face and Busra stood up slowly. The two girls turned and smiled at their mother and Anastasia was too focused on the unknown woman talking to her daughters.

She drew out her sword and pointed it directly at Busra. Gabrielle saw Xena enter out of the corner of her eye and frowned. The two haven't spoken to one another for two days and Gabrielle felt like she had nothing to apologize for.

"Who are you and why are you talking to my daughters?" demanded Anastasia. Arielle and Cera ran to her and hugged her legs.

"Mother, she is our friend!" Arielle explained and her mother stared down at her confusedly. "She's grandfather's sister!"

Ana lowered her sword and turned to her mother. "What is she talking about?"

Busra stepped forward and Ana put her sword back up. "Anastasia…" she put her hand outward to show she meant no harm. "My name is Busra. I'm your father's sister. I've traveled a long way to come here."

"Mother…" the queen softly says, "is this true?" and Xena slowly nods. She puts away her sword and couldn't shake off her daughters who clung to her like monkeys. "Sorry about that…" her cheeks flush.

"If I had known about you I would have come back. I would have helped you and your mother." Busra pleads and sees the softness in the commander's eyes, which she assumed was a rarity.

Xena put her hands on her daughter's shoulders to ease the tension. "She's going to help us trap Queen Boareks. You can trust her." Steadily, she turns her head and glares at Gabrielle at the entrance. The governor gave her a snide look then left the quarters immediately.

* * *

Csaba and Farah traveled through the wilderness of China escorted by the imperial guards. Emperor Liu insisted they take an entourage with them in case intruders or bandits attacked them on the road. Csaba didn't think that was going to happen since nobody lived out in the barren lands of China but one couldn't be too safe.

He tried to subdue his anxiety throughout the journey. He wanted Farah to be as relaxed as possible and he knew this trip was going to take weeks so he wanted her to be calm but he also knew she wasn't comfortable riding on a horse for hours. Though, she didn't complain but he could see it on her face that she hated being on the saddle for long hours.

All he could think about was the disappointment he was going to get from his parents and grandmother. They were going to be very upset with him he just knew it. Continuing on a slow trot he heard Farah muttering noises and probably cursing under her breath.

"How are you doing back there?" he looks over his shoulder and she smiles faintly.

"I'm alright," she says and kept herself occupied with the nature around them.

The sound of her voice said otherwise. "We can stop and rest for awhile if you wish."

She grunted. "Csaba, we stopped for camp last night. We can't keep stopping because of me. Let's just keep going."

Trying to be brave, he mused. "You're carrying my baby, Farah. I just want to make sure that you're both well taken care of." He felt her arms wrap around his waist and she leaned her head against his back which warmed him to the core and he smiled brightly.

Wang rode ahead of him and Farah. "We are approaching Persian borders. I will scout ahead to make sure it is safe." He salutes and then rides forward with three other men while Csaba waited.

Farah sighed and her fingers wandered around his armored torso. "So, do you think that your parents will allow us to get married first? My sister is going to be very angry if we wait until after the baby is born."

He frowned, thinking of Rabia. He knew how much that woman hated him and his entire family. There was no way she was going to agree to this and he didn't even contemplate what the Czar was going to say either about all of this.

"We'll see what they say." He answers curtly.

"My sister will want to make my dress. She is great at sewing. Maybe my cousins can come too? Oh and my father too!" she says excitedly. She felt him tense at the mention of her father. "He's a very kind man, Csaba. He will be thrilled that I am marrying a Hun prince."

"He thinks I kidnapped you."

"But I decided to go! I can explain that to him. He will understand! Besides, he only wants the best for me. Pascal only offered his hand to me because of my status but my father will see that you are the best man for me. I swear by it."

Csaba grins and looked out at the field and saw Wang and the other officers riding furiously back towards them. He set his hand over his eyes and looks beyond the Chinese soldiers and sees a group of black masked men riding right behind them.

Wang whipped the hindquarters of his horse and screams, "Sabir Queen!"

Farah lifts her head and Csaba sat idly on the horse.

"Get out of here!" Wang ordered and Csaba quickly yanked on the reins and steered away from the horde of Sabirs charging right for them. Galloping as fast as possible he turns his head and eyed the woman wearing a hooded cloak, guide her horse back around and followed him and Farah.

Farah looked behind her and held onto Csaba tightly. "Who is that?!" she yells in his ear.

"I don't know!" he kept his eyes forward and refused to look at the rider behind him. Boareks smiled and kicked her steed and caught up to them and Csaba whips his head to the side and sees her riding right beside them.

She bumped her horse with his and he grunted, trying to keep his head forward, but kept eyeing how close she was. Farah panicked and the Sabir Queen grinned maliciously and grabbed hold of Farah's arm, trying to pull her off the horse. Csaba saw the two playing a game of tug of war together and he kicked Boarek's arm away and rode in a different direction to deter her.

Wang and the others began shooting arrows at the Sabir Queen but all missed her and she even caught two arrows and threw them back. Her men took off in different directions and spread out to corner Csaba and Farah.

Csaba pulled on the reins once he saw the Sabir soldiers confront him. He turned the horse and found more men on either side of him. Queen Boareks caught up with him and threw the hood off her head and held a sword up to his throat. Farah breathed heavily and tears of fear streamed down her cheeks.

"Call off your Chinese men, Hun boy." She ordered and the prince held his breath for a brief moment. "Do it!"

He waved his hand and Wang lowered his weapon as did the others. Boareks grinned and eyed the frightened girl sitting on the saddle. "You are out of bounds, Sabir Queen," Wang says sassily.

"This is not Chinese land anymore. This is Persia."

"Which belongs to the Hun Empire."

"Does it?" she winks at the officer. "How quaint it is to see a Hun boy dressed in Chinese armor. You are far from home."

Csaba chose his words carefully. "I don't know who you are but I don't want to fight you. I could give you coin if you want."

Boareks laughed. "I don't want your gold! I want you!"

"What could you possibly want with me?"

"You can start by stating your name."

Wang frowned. "Tell this bitch nothing." He tells Csaba.

She pressed the blade against the prince's throat. "Fine. I know who you are, Prince Csaba." His eyes illuminate fear and uncertainty. "Son of Queen Anastasia, isn't that right?" her smile grows. "I did expect you to be a bit younger like your sisters but it appears that you are an adult. Your mother has been a very busy rabbit."

"Don't talk about my mother." He glares at the Sabir woman.

"Oh your mother is very precious to you. A few people were looking for you. Too bad they wandered in the wrong territory. I'm sure you had a nice visit with Bamin and Yeter?"

Csaba grimaced. "I knew it. Gokturks never leave the mountains."

"That's right. Now you will come with me or I'll kill the girl," she eyes Farah.

He stomach dropped. "Don't hurt her." He pleaded.

"I am a woman of my word. Come with me willingly and nobody has to die. Got that, Hun prince?" she lowered the blade. "Drop all of your weapons." She says and he slowly takes his sword out and threw it on the ground. "What an obedient boy you are. Follow me." She tied a rope around his horse and trotted off.

Wang shook his head and rode up beside Csaba. "We're not going to make it out of here alive," he whispered.

"Who is she?"

"The most hated woman in China. She has attacked the imperial city three times with her husband."

"Oh please, Wang! Must you talk of my popularity amongst your people?" Boareks snickered, overhearing the conversation. "You're going to make me blush."

Csaba looked at his officer and friend. "You know her personally?"

"Like I said, she is the most hated woman in China. We know each other very well, isn't that right Boareks?" Wang yells to her at the front.

She smiled over her shoulder. "Your words are most kind."

* * *

Busra was escorted into Anastasia's room where she was interrogated by her niece for over an hour. Anastasia asked many questions about her father that she never asked her mother. She knew that her mother was reluctant to talk about her father at times so never bothered. Over the years she stopped asking questions because she knew she was going to get any information out of her and the questions she asked her answered, very curtly she might add.

This was her chance to really get to know her father and this time it was different. Busra told many stories about her brother, even things that Xena was not privy to. Gabrielle sulked in the corner of the room while Xena sat with her daughter, listening to Busra tell her stories. Both women were anxious and eager, especially Anastasia.

Xena could feel Gabrielle's eyes burning into the back of her head and turned in the chair. She excused herself from the small circle and walked over to her partner. Gabrielle lifted her head briefly and then stared at Busra intensely.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" she held out her hand.

Gabrielle snubbed the hand and walked off with Xena outside of the bedroom. Xena closed the door quietly and frowned. "What?"

"Why don't you trust Busra? She's been nothing but kind since she got here."

"The last time we let a distant family member in we went to Africa to stop a drug trade. Now, suddenly she appears and we will be going to Persia to find Boareks. Do you not see a pattern here? Is it just me?" Gabrielle folds her arms and huffs.

Xena leaned against the doors and tapped her fingers on her thighs. "Ebnedzar turned out to be a great friend to us. He is Ellac's brother and they don't have any problems living together now. He was never the enemy and neither is Busra. You seem to be forgetting who the real enemy is here."

"I just don't like it. I am trying to trust her but I can't. There's been too much going on here. With Csaba and Farah gone, Boareks trampling all over the empire and Justinian invading Banat. We are spreading ourselves too thin, Xena. We can't be in six places at once. Even you said that. We don't have enough power to keep all the tribes safe and help the Nezaks against China and stop Boareks!"

"If someone is willing to help us stop the Sabirs invading our lands then we should take it. I can't stop her alone. I need everyone and I need you." She touched Gabrielle's arm gingerly but pulled away when she saw her tense. "Did you see the way Ana reacted when she heard Busra was her father's sister? I haven't seen her happy in a long time, Gabrielle. She's been so upset since Csaba left and this is a good distraction for her. Why are you acting this way? I thought you of all people would be glad to have someone on our side for once."

Gabrielle was never one to be cold to anybody but she felt something was about to happen in the empire and Busra's arrival was odd. She smiled softly to make her partner happy. "I'll try my best to trust her but I won't let my guard down."

"That's all I ask." Xena grinned and hugged her tightly. "We should pack for our trip. When we reach Persia I want to find Boareks first and then we will go to Kazakhstan to see Bey Malka."

"I'll go tell Ellac about the plan." Gabrielle salutes in a playful manner and walks down the hallway. She frowned and heard the doors open behind her. Xena went back into the queen's room to continue talking with Busra while she left Gabrielle to tend to the more political and important duties.

* * *

Leila sat in her room with her husband and Kreka. All were silent and she kept glaring at Dengi who refused to meet eyes with her. He also couldn't look at his mother either, although for once, her glare was less scary than his petite wife's.

"Why'd you do it?" she asks finally breaking the ice.

He bent his head downward and laced his fingers over the nape of his neck, exhaling sharply.

"Is she prettier than me?"

He lifts his head. "No."

"I've been married to you for eight years, Dengizich. I deserve to know why you decided to sleep with that whore!" she slammed her fist on the table and Kreka pinched her eyebrows together.

"Because you won't talk to me! You won't even come to bed anymore. You sleep in the women's quarters most of the time. I didn't do anything to deserve that. It's like you're afraid of me."

Her face softened. "I'm not afraid of…you."

"Then what is it? I'd really like to know." He leaned back and crossed his arms over his muscular chest. "I want another child." He finally said aloud and his mother's eyes darted from Leila and back to him. Leila frowned sadly and sunk in the chair. "I know you think about Giselle and you're worried something like that will happen again. I also see you hovering over Ernak's son."

"She died Dengi!"

He leaned forward, "seven years ago, Leila!" he snaps back and reaches to grab her hand. "I think about her all the time. I miss her a lot –we all miss her. But you can't let her death haunt you forever. I just want you to be happy."

The scowl returned upon her lips. "And you think having sex with another woman would make me happy?"

"I'm sorry, Leila. I shouldn't have done that. I feel terrible about it and Ernak made sure to remind me of it every chance he got. Can you forgive me?" he pleads and she frowned, folding her arms and looked away. He got on his knees and gripped her knees. "Please, Leila?"

"She meant nothing to you?"

He shook his head.

"I'll think about it." She looked into his dark disappointed eyes.

* * *

Oran sat outside of his yurt smoking out of his pipe and the royal children came waltzing along through the field. He coughed and stood in front of the leader of the group, Arielle. "What are you brats up to?" he glares at all of them.

"We're going to the river for a swim." Arielle says and the others behind her nod.

Talat and Tolan playfully nudged each other while Soran felt a bit left out with the two boys and stayed close to his sister and Cera. Oran stared at his naughty brothers and then looked at the mischievous princess.

"Who said you could go to the river by yourselves?"

"Mother said we could!" Talat yells at his elder half brother.

Oran nods, disbelieving that his stepmother would ever allow that. "Uh-huh. What about you, Soran? What did your mother say?"

The White Prince scratched his scalp and Arielle pinched his arm. "She said it was okay!" he squealed and punched his sister.

"And…your mother?" he finally points at Arielle and Cera with their sheepish grins. "I find it hard to believe that your mother, the queen, would allow you two to go off by yourselves."

"Well, she didn't say no…" laments Arielle, because she didn't ask her mother at all if she could leave the compound. "Why don't you come with us, Oran?" she suggests and all the children grin excitedly. "You can watch us!"

"Yeah right!" he snorts. "As if I have time to watch a bunch of royal brats."

"Please Oran!" she begged. "Just for a little while?"

He gazes at all the sad faces surrounding him and grunted. "You're lucky that I like your brother. Let's go." He grabbed Cera and set her on his shoulders. "We're only going to stay for a little bit. I don't want Anastasia to send out a search party for you kids."

"You worry too much, brother!" Tolan slapped him on the arm.

* * *

Xena tied her bag onto the saddle and Gabrielle carried out two skins filled with water and draped them over Xena's saddle to be tied down. Despite what Gabrielle said and meant about Busra, Xena could tell that she was still leery and unwilling to trust Borias' sister.

"Are you ready for the journey ahead?" she asks and tightens and saddle.

Gabrielle knelt down and made sure the shoes on her horse were properly placed and ready for the hot terrains. "I'm always ready," she replies curtly. "If we do find Boareks, shouldn't we take her back to Pannonia with us?"

"Ana wants us to go to Kazakhstan to help the Nezaks."

"I know but," she stood and turned to the eager commander. "If we capture her I don't think it's a good idea to bring her to Hun territory. Assuming that we find her."

Xena slapped the saddle and her horse trotted off to the yurt to wait for her. "Well I'm not going to kill her and bring her back. That would be pointless. This isn't about Boareks, is it Gabrielle…"

The governor couldn't hide her emotions. The two had been together far too long to show deceit.

"You still don't trust Busra. I get that but we have to at least try and see if she's telling the truth. We have to go through Persia to get to Kazakhstan anyway. If we happen to find Boareks then we will know that Busra is telling the truth."

"Alright…"

Arielle, Cera, Talat, Tolan and Soran, walked through the field soaking wet and in their undergarments. Gabrielle tilted her head, watching all the children pass by and Xena turned around to follow her star-struck gaze. Her mouth parted at all the children and Oran escorting them back to the Adame.

"Hi grandma!" Arielle waved. "Hi Gabby!" she grinned. Cera also waved her hand and Ebnedzar's young sons waved their hands as well and Soran smiled at them.

Gabrielle and Xena stood dumbfounded as all the children passed them by. Gabrielle looked at the sky and went over all the scenarios in her head of what could have happened. Xena folded her arms and felt her head throbbing already.

"I've got to get out of here." She says under her breath and hops on the horse.

* * *

A week spent with this woman felt more like a month. Csaba no longer heard any of the imperial soldiers outside and he assumed that she ordered them to be killed a few days ago. Wang was still alive because he heard them arguing outside of this large abode that once belonged to the Sassan brothers.

He had a foul taste in his mouth when he thought of Erzibet. He actually wanted to marry her because he thought he'd never meet someone else that his parents could agree on. He blamed his grandmother for that entire debacle. When Erzibet left he felt sort of relieved but now he had to deal with Farah and she certainly was no shy Persian Hun girl.

She was very spoiled and liked everything to be her way or else she complained all the time. He didn't want any of his family members to give her a hard time but now that Farah and he were trapped in Boareks' hold, he noticed a change in her. She was too scared to say anything or even defend herself when the Sabir woman said nasty comments towards her.

He watched Boareks place a plate of food near his boots and he frowned at the food. It was decent and much like what he ate back home. He didn't understand why he wasn't dead by now but he figured that this woman had a strategy and agenda to fulfill. She reminded him of his grandmother except he never recalled his grandmother being so cruel, which she never was unless you did her wrong. He thought of all the things he could have done to avoid this. He suddenly felt super inexperienced and cursed himself for not listening to his grandmother's commands during training.

He thought he was the best and didn't need to be treated like a regular recruit. He thought his grandmother was being too hard on him and now he knew that he was wrong –very wrong. He glanced over at Farah who was shackled by her wrists and ankles but free at her waist while he was shackled to a large wooden column so he couldn't break free.

Boareks sat down and eyed the prince who was not eager to eat at all. He pushed the plate to the center of the rug and she smirked, biting her fingernail. "Not hungry again? That's the third day in a row."

He kept his eyes on how pale Farah was and frowned at the Sabir Queen. "Feed her instead."

"Why should I? She means nothing to me."

Csaba didn't want to reveal that Farah was pregnant to this woman, fearing that she would be tortured for information or killed. He questioned why he was the General of China at this very moment. He was terrible when it came to dealing with authoritative figures that were older and wiser than him. He tried to think of what to say and Gabrielle came to his mind. She taught him how to talk to queens and enemies but this woman was different. She had no game. She just didn't care and was hard to pinpoint.

"She's very important," he says calmly and Farah was barely able to keep her head up. Boareks looked at the Czarina and narrowed her eyes. "She's more valuable than me." Which wasn't far from the truth.

She grabbed Farah's face and looked into her bright green eyes that were dull from lack of food and water. "What tribe do you belong to?"

Farah glanced over at Csaba who was nodding his head. "I'm not a Hun…" she tells the Sabir in a weak voice.

Boareks half smiled. "Oh really. Then what are you? You're not tan enough to be a Vandal and you're much too far from Africa to be from the Maghreb." She ran her fingers through Farah's long silky dark hair. "Scythian?" she asks and Farah's heart raced. "Magyar?" she leans in closely.

She took a dagger out from her boot and slid it across Farah's sunken cheek. "Dalmatian?" she continues guessing. She lifted up the girl's dress and glided the dagger against a slender thigh. She felt the girl quiver at the cold blade. "Szekely?" she asks and Farah's eyes widen. "Oh, you are a Banat girl." She retracted the dagger much to Csaba's surprise. He was watching her and felt sick.

"Too bad about your people. I slaughtered them awhile ago." She grinned and Farah gasped. "And the Huns sat back and watched me do it. They did nothing to save your people. What an  _honorable_  group of people you allied yourself with." She winked at the prince.

"My people would never do that!" Csaba spat.

Boareks lay back on a large pillow and tapped the dagger on her palm. "But they did, prince. That white woman even tried to attack me."

Gabrielle. She was talking about Gabrielle. "Why are you keeping us prisoner?"

"To use you as bait for your mother. Once she sees that I have you then she will have to bargain with me. That is…if she cares enough about your life."

He ignored her remark and pushed the plate of food towards Farah. "Feed her," he demands.

"You care a lot about this Banat girl," she mused. She picked up the plate and set in front of Farah. "Go on." She urged and Farah suspiciously eyed the woman. The look in her eyes was menacing and the way she flaunted the food was unsettling.

"No." Farah says.

"Farah!" Csaba yelled.

Boareks smiled and threw the plate of food at the wall and stood up. "Fine. Starve for all I care." She left the two alone in the room and snapped her fingers at her men to open the doors for her.

He glared at Farah and she eyed the food sliding down the wall. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"She poisoned the food, Csaba," she whispers. "I could smell it."

 _Of course she did_. He kicked himself inwardly for not seeing that red flag. His grandmother told him to look for that if he ever was in the hands of an enemy. It was the first thing to look for and he failed. He kept failing and failing no matter where he went.

* * *

Xena and Gabrielle traveled through the desert of the outskirts of Persia for the last two weeks and came across the Khazar tribe that ceased to exist which was disheartening. Gabrielle could barely bring herself to look at the abandoned yurts and hundreds of people that were burned at that site.

"How are we going to find her, Xena? Persia is a very large stretch of land."

"From what Busra said, Boareks likes to hide in plain sight. She won't be in a hidden alcove but right in front of our eyes. We just need to look for her in the most obvious places." She scanned the barren desert and covered her mouth from the sand kicking up around her.

Gabrielle wrapped the veil of her new headdress around her face, leaving a slit for her eyes to see in front of her. She trotted ahead and joined the commander almost by the hip. "Where should we look first? What is obvious in this wasteland?" so far she saw nothing ahead but abandoned homes that were left behind when the Sassan brothers left.

"Let's go to the kingdom of Sassan first," she suggested. "There are plenty of places for her to hide in now that everything is vacant."

Gabrielle nodded and shielded her eyes from the gritty sand whirling around. She wasn't present during the war with Persia but she did know that the Persian brothers vacated very quickly. "Where did the Shah brothers go anyway?"

"Who cares? Why do you ask?"

"I just find it strange that they'd leave their homeland and we haven't heard from them again."

Xena sighed. "We'll hear from them again. Those Persians are relentless, Gabrielle. Peroz and Hormizd are probably preparing a new army somewhere north. Maybe they teamed up with Boareks?" she chortled.

Gabrielle didn't think that was that outlandish. "You might be onto something."

"Who knows what that woman has been doing? She's allies with Justinian and Theodoric. She could be friends with the Persians but I don't care about those bastards. Let's keep riding. We aren't stopping for camp for the next few days."

* * *

After spending two weeks with the Sabir woman, Csaba convinced her to feed Farah and him as well. She realized that the two young royals were more valuable to her and agreed to feed them with a measly loaf of bread and wine twice a day for the last week, which was better than nothing. It definitely wasn't the lavish meals she was trying to offer the first week.

Farah dipped the bread in the wine and snacked on it for the last half hour. Csaba offered to give his food to her and she shared a small smile with him. He heard a few voices outside of the large building and in walked Khan Bamin and Queen Yeter and of course Queen Boareks came in behind them. His jaw dropped, surprised to see the Gokturks outside of the imperial city.

The Gokturk Queen smiled at the Hun prince and then made her way over to Farah. She knelt down and lifted the girl's chin. "What a gorgeous creature," she says. "She is even more beautiful than the Hun Queen," she turns and winks at Csaba. "She makes your mother look rather plain, Prince Csaba."

"How did you escape the imperial city?" he asked her.

"Simple. I asked if I could scout the perimeters of China. The Emperor is very fond of me and my husband now." She pinched Farah's cheek and stood up. Farah snarled and rubbed her face and set the half eaten bread aside, losing her appetite.

"You would gain more if you allied with my people instead of this bitch," he spat at Boareks' boots and he took a slap to the face.

"You have your mother's mouth." Yeter remarked.

The Sabir Queen whipped out her dagger and pinched Csaba's cheeks together and opened his mouth. "What will you ever do if I cut out your tongue?" her eyes grew and Farah leapt forward to stop her but Yeter grabbed her and wrapped her in a choke hold.

A loud war cry from outside the building alarmed everyone and Boareks' lifted her eyebrow. Csaba recognized that sound from anywhere and his eyes darted to the closed doors. She stood and sheathed the dagger and listened to swords clashing against one another outside. Queen Yeter wrapped her hand around Farah's mouth and her husband walked over to the window and peered outside to see the commotion outside.

Xena eyed him through the window and kicked one of Boareks' men aside. " _Boareks_!" she screamed and the Sabir Queen panicked and quickly grabbed her cloak and sword lying on a table to make a hasty exit through the back of the building.

Queen Yeter threw Farah on the floor and followed her ally and her husband ran through the back of the building. Xena's men kicked down the door and she charged in, expecting to fight the Sabir woman. "Boareks come out! I can smell you!" she walked through the corridor and paused when she saw Csaba shackled to a pole and Farah lying on the floor with her wrists and ankles bound.

Gabrielle rushed in and wiped the blood off her cheek and gaped at the two royals tied up. "Csaba…" she said.

"She went out the back," he nudged his head and Xena turned to Gabrielle.

"Get them out of here. I'm going after her."

"Xena!" she hissed. It was no use trying to talk sense into that woman. Xena was already out of the building with her soldiers and Gabrielle looked at Csaba and smiled. "What are you doing here?" she bent down and slashed the iron shackles with her blade and he rubbed his sore wrists.

He crawled across the rug and helped Farah up and Gabrielle broke the shackles off from her wrists and ankles. Farah leapt forward and embraced him warmly and he kissed the top of her head. Gabrielle raised her eyebrow and grabbed Csaba by the ear, hoisting him off the floor.

"Where the hell have you been!" she scolded him. "You nearly gave everyone a heart attack!" she slapped the back of his head and he rubbed his ear and bowed his head.

"I can explain, I swear."

* * *

Two hours later Xena returned with her men and she shouted to the sky angrily. Gabrielle gave a cup of water to Farah and wrapped her cloak around her then turned to the furious commander. "I am getting really sick of this game of tag!" she growled and slashed through the curtains inside the Persian abode.

"Let me guess, you couldn't catch her," mused Gabrielle.

"No! She had horses! And she had two other people with her!"

Csaba clears his throat, "That was the Gokturk king and queen," he says softly.

Xena marched over to her grandson and lifted him up by the collar. "And  _how_  do you know that? And where have you been? You've worried your mother to death and we sent a search party to find you!"

"Boareks killed them –whoever you sent –she killed them," he said and that only made her angrier.

"How stupid could you be, Csaba? Why did you take off like that for months?" she continued yelling and he was at a loss for words. Farah continued sipping the water and looked at Gabrielle who was equally as furious. "What is the matter with you?"

"I…was coming back to Pannonia," he says meekly. "I went to China. The Emperor made me general of his army."

Xena scoffed. "General? What a foolish man. You couldn't even follow  _my_  orders back home and he made  _you_  a general? I can't believe this. You could have sent word that you were safe but you didn't! How selfish could you be, Csaba? Your mother taught you better than this."

"I missed you."

She exhaled deeply and looked over at Gabrielle who smiled. "I missed you too."

Gabrielle interrupted, "well I guess Busra was right," she admits embarrassedly. "What do we do now? Should we continue to Kazakhstan?"

"No." Xena put up her hand. "We go back to Pannonia and bring Csaba and Farah home. Anastasia will understand."

"You are defying an order? Wow that is so unlike you," the governor's voice dripped with playful sarcasm.

Csaba crookedly smiled and the commander mocked the blonde and turned to her grandson who straightened himself up. "Why did you decide to come back to Pannonia? Sounds like you were living the good life in China."

He nervously eyed Farah who was pale in the face. "I want to marry Farah."

Gabrielle and Xena both shared shock expressions and he felt angst from them. "More surprises from you," says Xena in calm tone. "Any more surprises I should know about?"

"Farah's pregnant," he stated flatly and his grandmother stood in silence and Gabrielle's mouth gaped.

Then Xena chuckled and slapped her grandson on the shoulder. "I can't wait to see the look on your mother's face when you tell her this."

His face contorted in confusion. "You're not mad at me?"

"Mad? I'm not mad. Congratulations on becoming a father." She kept smiling and walked by him and looked down at Farah who was green in the face. "Welcome to the family."

Gabrielle quietly stepped away and grabbed her partner's arm. "You're not mad?" she whispered. "You were furious when Anastasia was pregnant with Csaba!"

"Oh Gabrielle, sweet Gabrielle," she sighs. "This time is different because  _this_  time it's happening to my daughter and not to me." She folded her arms and lifts her proud chin. Gabrielle could tell she couldn't wait to rub this in Ana's face.

"Xena…don't make this difficult on Anastasia." that look in her eyes was very worrisome. "She's going to be very upset."

"Oh she'll understand. After all, this happened to her, right?" she bats her eyelashes and Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Grandma Ana. Very nice ring to it."

"Xena, I'm serious. Don't be mean."

"Mean? Me? Never…" she kissed Gabrielle's forehead and waltzed over to Farah and bent down. The Czarina jumped and wrapped the cloak around her body. "Farah,  _tatli_   _kiz_ ," she says sweetly, "how do you feel?"

Farah nervously eyed Csaba and he was just as clueless as she was. "Um…a little nauseous."

"I'm sure you are." She gripped Farah's shoulder. "You should eat some food. Maybe some rice, yogurt, lamb would be nice." She teased and Farah felt her stomach churning at the thought of eating food. "Lentil soup, goat cheese…"

Farah threw the cloak off her and hurried outside of the building. Xena snickered and Gabrielle slapped her arm.

"I thought you weren't going to be mean?!"

"I'm not being mean!" Xena rubs her arm. "Just trying to show that I care." She raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes at her miffed grandson. "So, we should get going soon!" she clapped her hands together.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

A few days since they left the Persian abode, they camped in the desert in the middle of a horrible rainstorm that was also a sandstorm. Xena's men put up three tents and Farah was inside a tent with Xena and Gabrielle. csaba was told to go sleep in a separate tent by himself but before he retired to his tent he entered his grandmother's tent and she glared at him. Farah sat on the floor, ringing out her wet locks and smiled up at him.

Xena rummaged through the saddlebag that Csaba brought from China and pulled out a dress that was made of silk. Examining the gown she ran her fingers on the black silk sleeves and laid it out on the floor beside Farah. Gabrielle made up two beds and eyed Csaba waiting at the entrance, soaked from head to toe.

"Csaba, I want to talk to you," she rose off the floor and pulled him aside. He kept his eyes on Farah and Gabrielle turned his face towards hers. "Why did you go to China?"

"I don't know. I've never been there before. I figured nobody would come looking for us in China so we decided to stay there."

Xena frowned at her grandson, overhearing the conversation. "Your mother was very upset when you left, Csaba. She didn't come out of her room for a week."

He sighed and sat down on the floor and Gabrielle sat beside him. "I feel really terrible about that. I don't like it when she is upset but she wouldn't stop treating me like a child! Arielle and Cera are children. I'm not." He thumbed his chest.

"Oh right because you just have such a  _horrible_  life," his grandmother mocked. "You live in a nice palace with servants. A room to yourself and you can come and go as you please. You're right. Your life is awful."

"You do it to me too," he challenged her. "You've always treated me like a child. And you too," he says to Gabrielle. "I'm not a little boy anymore."

"You sure about that?" Xena combated. "You ran away, Csaba. We sent people looking for you. Gabrielle and I searched for you. I thought you were dead."

He folded his arms and scowled. "I'm sorry I caused a lot of trouble…" he muttered.

Gabrielle wrapped her arm around him. "We care about you and we're glad that you're safe. I don't think you will be going back to China again."

"But I'm the general! The Emperor likes me!"

"Then perhaps I could…take your place," Xena grinned and got a mean glare from her blonde cohort. "If you want to go back you won't be going alone. Although I don't think your mother is going to let you leave her sight ever again after the stunt you just pulled."

She picked up the Chinese dress and handed it to Farah. "Put this on. You can't sit in wet clothes all night." Farah grabbed the dress and looked around, feeling incredibly awkward in the tent. "Csaba turn around," she ordered.

He frowned. "But I –"

"Turn around!" she yelled and he did as told and faced the wall of the tent. He heard Gabrielle chuckling lightly and he never felt more stupid in his life. He knew exactly what Farah looked like without clothes but he wasn't in the mood to keep arguing with his grandmother.

Farah stood and stared at Xena who was eyeing her dress. She then began unlacing the front of the dress slowly and it dropped to the floor. She felt like she was some kind of show to behold when Csaba's grandmother and aunt scanned her body. She wrapped her arms around her breasts and Xena pulled her arms away.

"You're too thin," she observes and the Czarina breathed in sharply. "I'll make sure Kreka feeds you," she raised her eyebrows excitedly and Farah gasped.

Csaba slapped his forehead. "Grandma, she's terrible. Don't do that to Farah."

"Shut up." She shoved the dress in Farah's chest. "Put the dress on. We have to leave tomorrow. We won't be stopping for at least a week so make sure you're ready for more sandstorms on the way." She paddled the girl on the back and Farah clutched the dress to her body anxiously.

"So," Gabrielle leans back on the floor and Csaba glanced over. "How was it being in charge of an entire army?"

He rubbed his temples. "Really hard." He looked over his shoulder and Xena waved her hand. "Can I look now?"

"No!"

"I didn't know how difficult it was. I thought about you and grandma all the time. I don't know why he gave me that position but he really liked me and Farah. He's our ally now. I even convinced him to stay away from the Nezak Huns."

Gabrielle lifted herself up on her elbows. "You did that?" she looks at Xena who was equally as shocked. "You did our work for us. We found out the Nezaks were attacked and we were on our way to help them."

Csaba shrugged. "Well, you're welcome I guess. Who is Queen Boareks?" he finally turned around now that Farah was dressed.

"A bitch from hell," mutters Xena.

"She's not wrong." The governor rolled over onto her stomach and smiled at Xena. "She destroyed the Khazar and Atlyn tribes. She also hurt Cera." She saw the panic in his eyes. "She's okay. We've been playing a game with her. Every single time we see her, we try to catch her but she escapes!"

"Sounds frustrating," he rubbed his chin. "I could help out with that."

Xena laughed. " _You_? Help? Get real, Csaba. You have bigger things to worry about." She nudged her head at Farah. "I want to be in the room when you tell your mother. I am dying to see her face."

"I'm sure…" he groaned. "Do you think she'll be angry?"

"I hope so," she said in a whisper while smiling.

"What?"

"I said I hope not." She smiled and Gabrielle drummed her fingers on her cheek, watching Xena's mischievous nature unfolding. She stirred some herbs into a cup and handed it off to Farah. "Drink this."

The Czarina smelled the mixture and her instant reaction was to revolt against it. "I'm okay…thanks."

"Drink it," she bent down, scaring the girl and Farah took the cup. "I don't care if you don't like it. You won't eat anything so you need to drink this."

Farah sniffed the drink and cringed, extremely hesitant to sip it. "What does it do?"

"Don't worry about that." Xena sat down and took off her boots and threw them aside. "Csaba, you can go now."

She finally took a small sip and stuck her tongue out. " _Ceai_   _groaznic_!" she shuttered and Gabrielle contorted her face, not understanding her at all and Xena smirked.

"I am assuming that means you don't like it…" she guessed. "You're going to have to eat sometime you know." She saw the sickly look on the girl's face that reminded her much of her own daughter's face when she was teenager. Csaba was still in the tent, reluctant to leave. "Why are you still here? Women only, Csaba." She waved her hand to shoo him out.

* * *

Queen Yeter, Khan Bamin and Boareks hid in the outskirts of Persia close to the border of Armenia. Boareks contemplated going back and following Xena and the rest of the entourage but she was too far by now and she really didn't want to go back to her camp in the Gokturk territory empty handed. Furiously, she paced around in front of the tent while Yeter sat on the grass with the melted snow, bored to the death.

"We should go to the Caucasus and regroup there. Bamin's men are still in China." Yeter suggests.

"That little bastard and whore of his!" the Sabir yelled, clenching her fist tightly to the point her palm almost bled from her fingernails digging in. "Saved by his grandmother and that white woman. She always follows that commander. They are joined at the hip!" she growled.

Yeter snickered. "Those Huns and their inclusive ways. Now, they are allying with the Banats and the prince has a Banat woman in his grasp."

"They ruined my plan. I was going to take the prince and use him against his mother." She wagged her finger vigorously and continued pacing around in a circle. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

"Attack the White Huns. You don't need the prince to do that, Boareks." Bamin said.

"Yes…" the Sabir grinned at her friend. "I should do that. It is very lucky that I am so close to the White Hun kingdom. The king won't know what hit him. That should really get those Pannonians' attention."

* * *

Ernak and Dengi were in Banat helping the entire kingdom for the last few weeks. Ellac and Anastasia stayed in Pannonia to scout the perimeters in the morning which seemed useless. Both of them didn't expect Xena and Gabrielle to return for another month or so considering how far Kazakhstan was from Pannonia.

Today was the only day that the two monarchs had alone together, but that was a short moment lived when Cera came into their bedroom in the morning. Ellac was on the bed with Ana while Cera sat on his lap. Cera was busy playing with a toy and Anastasia wrote down some notes for Gabrielle for when she was to return from Kazakhstan.

Ellac put his chin on his daughter's head and eyed his wife who was blocking everything out for the last few hours. "Where's Arielle?" he asked, trying to distract her.

"She's with Busra and Kreka," he answered and flipped over the paper and looked at the map laid out on the end of the bed and muttered to herself, jotting down important locations for their spies to investigate.

His hand slithered along the sheets and grabbed a hold of her waist and she slapped him. "Ellac, not in front of Cera."

"I could always send her out." He winked and she raised an eyebrow and Cera smiled at her parents. "Okay fine." He shifted his daughter on his lap and ran his fingers through her red hair. "Hey Cera why don't you go to the kitchen and you can have whatever you want."

The princess' eyes widened and her smile grew. Anastasia frowned at him and he set Cera down on the floor. "Ellac, she already had too many sweets last night. Cera, do not get anymore tsoureki!" she warned and the girl huffed.

Cera walked over to the window and spotted her grandmother riding with Gabrielle and she lifted to her tip-toes and saw her big brother with the Czarina on a separate horse. She pointed out the window and tried to get her parents attention but she quickly became frustrated by her lack of voice. Hurrying over she tugged on her mother's arm and Ana waved her away.

"Cera, go away I'm busy."

The princess groaned and tried to pull her out of bed and kept pointing at the window on the opposite side of the room. Ellac got off the bed lazily and pulled his hair back into a bun and decided to play along with his daughter's antics. Smiling, he stared out the window and his heart sank to the pit of his core when he saw Csaba.

"Csaba!" he shouted and Anastasia finally lifted her eyes from her work. "Ana! Your mother –she brought back Csaba!" he ran over and picked up Cera and left the room, leaving his wife shocked and confused.

Anastasia tossed the pen on the bed and walked slowly over to the window. A genuine smile that had been waiting to come out finally graced her face when she saw her son and Farah after so months of being apart. She wasn't expecting her mother and Gabrielle to return for another month or so but everything went out the window so to speak when she finally laid eyes on her son.

* * *

As soon as Arielle saw her brother and grandmother approaching the Adame, she left Busra and Kreka and ran through the field. Csaba saw his kid sister charging through the field at great speed and jumped off the horse. She crashed into him and he wrapped his arms around her tiny body.

"Csaba! You're back!" she kissed his forehead and cupped his cheeks. "You're really here! Where did you go? Why did you leave? Did you miss us?" her breathing stammered and tears streamed down her face.

He frowned sadly and wiped the tears away. "Don't cry, squirt. I don't like it when you cry. Don't be sad, I'm here!" he tried to cheer her up.

She kept sobbing. "I'm not sad! I'm happy you're back!" she smiled and he kissed her nose. "My name is not squirt!" she lightly punched him in the chest. He returned the favor and pinched her arm and Arielle giggled quietly and eyed Farah and frowned. "You took Farah with you?"

"Oh…" he turned and Gabrielle helped Farah off the horse. "Yes, I did."

Arielle had a certain glimmer in her eyes and she smugly smiled at her big brother. "Is she your girlfriend?" she teased.

"Something like that," he stood up and his eyes met with his parents waiting in front of the Adame. He waved at his mother and she remained frozen in place with her mouth parted slightly."Excuse me Arielle." He patted her head and took in a deep breath and walked by himself to greet his parents.

Xena pulled the saddlebag over her shoulder and elbowed Gabrielle in the arm. "Csaba's going for it. He's going to see Anastasia."

Gabrielle sighed. "Xena, don't say anything. Don't be mean."

"Shit." Xena mumbled. Rabia was coming towards them and Farah hid behind Gabrielle even though she towered over her, nearly standing at Xena's height.

"Farah!" Rabia picked up her dress and hurried across the field. The younger sister was too scared to approach Rabia so she tried to back away, hoping that her sister wasn't too angry. "Farah, where have you been? I missed you so much!" she smiled and stretched out her arms. Farah furrowed her eyebrows, confused by her sister's actions.

"Go on," Gabrielle whispered and pushed Farah over to her eager sister.

Rabia kept the big grin plastered on her face and hugged her sister warmly. "I thought I'd never see you again. Father will be thrilled that you've come back."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" asks Farah.

Rabia pulled away. "I know I am hard on you, Farah, but I did miss you more than anything. I'm glad that you're safe. You should know that you won't have to worry about Pascal anymore…" her eyes lingered at the commander. "And I don't have to worry about Balasz."

"What happened to him?"

"He…"

"He threw himself out a window," Xena blurted out and Farah covered her mouth. "Instant death!" she repeated and Gabrielle slapped her chest. "I hate to interrupt this but we should go inside. We have a lot to talk about." She waltzed off with the governor.

Rabia grimaced and stared at her little sister. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Csaba walked up the stairs and stood a foot apart from his parents. He smiled at Cera briefly and she hugged his legs then was yanked back gently by their father. "Mother, father…" he began, "I'm really sorry. I should have told you where I was going. I should have –"

Anastasia pulled him close and dug her fingers into his backside. He smelled that fresh scent of his mother's hair that he missed. He never thought that he would feel this way when he saw her. He thought he was going to get a horrible lecture from her but she was so silent –too silent. She sobbed on his shoulder and he pulled away from her.

"Mother, please don't cry. I'm here now." He wiped the tears away with his thumb. "I'm so sorry that I caused you so much pain. I'm really… _really_ ," he stressed, "sorry."

The tears dried up quickly and she punched him in the bicep and it wasn't a playful punch. In fact, he felt that rattle his bones and he gasped sharply and gripped his throbbing arm. "Don't you ever do that again!" she yelled. There it was, he thought.

"I won't, I promise!" he pleads.

Ellac shook his head and grabbed his son and hugged him. "You spoiled brat," he joked and slapped the back of his head. "If you ever leave again," he warned, "don't."

"Yes sir," Csaba nodded. "Can we go inside now? I really need to talk to you two."

* * *

Xena and Gabrielle sat on the sofa inside the king's quarters while Ana, Ellac were sitting opposite them. Farah and Csaba sat together and Rabia sat by her sister, very closely. Xena kept trying not to laugh and had smiled smugly. She relaxed on the sofa, spreading her legs apart with her arms folded across her chest.

Everyone sat in silence for quite a long time and Anastasia kept glaring at her son, anticipating the so called talk that her son wanted to have. Her son didn't look in her eyes and Farah kept her eyes glued to the floor, also unwilling to look at her sister.

"So," the prince laced his fingers together. "I am the general of China. The Emperor is our ally. I fixed the Nezak conflict."

Ellac smiled and put an arm around his wife. "That's good news. We could always use more allies."

"Right…yes." Csaba nodded and mistakenly looked at his mother's scowl. "Also, Farah and I decided that we should get married so we came back to Pannonia to ask permission…"

Anastasia's jaw dropped and Xena crossed a leg over the other, snickering under her breath. "Marriage." She says and Rabia's face paled. "Alright…"

"You don't have a problem with it?"

"No…I guess not." The queen looked at the elder Czarina. "Rabia?"

Silence from the other party.

Csaba smiled, feeling like this was going very well so far. The only thing that worried him was his mother's next reaction. "And there's something else too." He took in a hefty breath and grabbed Farah's hand. "She's pregnant so we really wanted to get married."

Rabia collapsed out of the chair onto the floor. Farah bent down. "Rabia!" she shook her unconscious sister. "Oh my god."

"Mom?"

Finally, Xena couldn't hold it in anymore and she started laughing at the dumb look on her daughter's face. Gabrielle stomped on her boot and smiled, batting her eyelashes. Ana and Ellac sat together with wide eyes and gazed at their son in awe.

After Anastasia was able to process those words, she ran her hands down her thighs. "Pregnant." She finally spoke and Farah was on the floor, slapping Rabia's cheeks lightly trying to wake her. "Excuse me." She stood slowly, but her legs felt numb, she walked out of the room and left Ellac frozen in the chair.

"Well that was uneventful!" Xena threw her arms in the air.

"Maybe we should leave," Gabrielle stood and tried pulling her partner off the sofa. "Xena, let's go…"

"No way! I've been waiting for this moment and nothing happened!"

Csaba looked at his father and waited for a response. "Is…is mother mad?"

"I don't know." Ellac frowned. "Running away and you want to get married  _and_  you got her pregnant. Nice going, Csaba."

"Well you did the same thing to mother!" he rose out of the chair, challenging his father. "At least I'm asking to marry her unlike you!"

Xena leaned back on the sofa and Gabrielle plopped back down beside her. "Now it's getting interesting."

"Xena, I swear to god. We don't need to be here."

"Quiet Gabrielle. Let me enjoy this moment."

"I  _did_  marry your mother!"

"Yeah,  _after_  Cera was born," Csaba folded his arms. "I just want to do the right thing."

Ellac nods his head slowly and pointed to the door. "I think we should talk about this later."

"Fine." He grabbed his fiancée's hand. "Farah, let's go."

"But my sister!" she cried out and knelt down, lifting Rabia's head off the ground.

"We'll take care of her for you," Gabrielle says to ease Farah but that did little to nothing especially since Csaba was dragging her out of the room.

Xena smiled, tapping her fingers on her knee, staring at Ellac. He caught her gaze and folded his arms. " _What_?" he snapped.

"You and Ana handled that very well."

"Well I'm not going to try and choke my son like you almost did to me, Xena."

"Oh come on. Could you blame me? You just left my daughter all by herself. At least Csaba stayed with Farah. I forgave you the next day anyway." She showed her pearly white teeth and he muttered under his breath a few curse phrases. "So, what do you want us to do with the Czarina?" she looked over at Rabia lying on the floor.

* * *

Gabrielle sat on the guest bed with Rabia and waited until she woke up. Meanwhile Xena was sitting in a chair eating dried fruit and bread. She expected more of a reaction from Anastasia but Rabia passing out was the most exciting thing to happen in awhile. Xena remembered when Kreka almost fainted when Ernak told her but she refrained and hit her son instead.

"She's been knocked out for hours, Xena! Maybe we should get the medic or something."

"Nah, she'll wake up sooner or later. The shock will wear off." She smiled and ripped a piece of flat bread in half, offering some to the anxious blonde. "Do you want some?"

"How can you eat at a time like this?" she dabbed Rabia's forehead.

"Well I'm not going to starve. Farah's the one who should be eating anyway." She wiped her hands on her pants and lounged in the chair, staring sweetly at Gabrielle nurturing the Czarina. "This is the best moment in my life. Ana will be a grandmother, Ellac's getting a taste of his own medicine and Rabia fainted!"

Gabrielle shakes her head and pinched the Czarina's cheek for the millionth time in a row. But to no avail, she remained unconscious and Gabrielle felt like this was more than a waste of time. "Anastasia hasn't come back yet. Where do you think she went?"

Xena's eyes wandered around the room. "She probably wants to be alone."

"Like you," she says softly and the commander's face relaxed. "You don't remember? You sat alone in a chapel by yourself for hours. I thought you were going to crack so I went to talk to you. Maybe you should go talk to her if you can find her."

"I know where she is." Xena picked at the crumbs on her pants and the governor smiled.

"Then you should go talk to her. She might really need you right now."

Kreka swung open the doors, now off her cane, she walked in steadily and Xena grumbled. Gabrielle stepped away from the bed and saw the look in the khatun's eyes. She couldn't tell if the queen was excited or angry or both. It was hard to tell what emotions were trapped inside her sometimes.

"Farah is pregnant?" she looked at Xena and Gabrielle. "And nobody told me!"

Xena buried her face behind her veil of hair. "Here it comes…"

"Where is that twig?" she searched the room, hoping to find the young Czarina and Rabia opened her eyes after many hours of lying on the bed. She sat up and frowned at the three women in her room. Kreka walked over to the bed and leaned over and Rabia sank in the pillows. "Rabia. We have a lot to talk about. Ellac told me that Csaba wants to marry Farah so I think I should make the dress."

Gabrielle knew when to stay out of this mess. The Czarina suddenly was feeling a lot better and she threw the blankets off. "Who put you in charge? I'm her sister so I will make the dress, not you khatun!"

"I'm going to…find Anastasia…" Xena quietly slipped out of the room.

Gabrielle gasped. "You're leaving me  _alone_  with them?"

"I know you can handle it. Good luck Gabrielle!"

* * *

Anastasia found solace in the woods in her special spot that she shared many memories with her mother, Ellac and some by herself. She knew that she was going to be pestered for months by her family to commit to her duties as a queen, mother and soon to be grandmother. While she sat by herself in the woods on a large stump she drew in the dirt with the tip of her sword and heard footsteps approaching.

She lifted her head slowly and her mother walked over and leaned on one of the large cedar trees. The two were silent and Ana went back to drawing in the dirt. Xena held herself up with a boot on the tree trunk and her arms folded, staring at her distraught daughter.

"You always liked this place," she mused and the queen titled her head, admiring the picture of Pannonia that she drew. "I used to take you through here for walks when you were little. Do you remember?"

"I remember." Ana smiled, remembering the short good times she had with her mother when she was very young.

Xena sat down on a stump next to her daughter and placed her elbows on her knees, staring at the hundred foot tall trees surrounding them both. "It's okay to be upset, Anastasia." she tells her. Expecting an answer, she waited a few moments and then spoke again, "not so nice when it happens to you, is it?"

The young queen frowned. "Are you going to give me a lecture?"

"No." she didn't want her daughter to feel like this was some sort of interrogation or an 'I told you so' moment either. "You're the same age as I was when you came home and told me you were pregnant." She smirked, "well  _you_  didn't tell me. The physician did." She nudged her daughter teasingly. She always wondered, "were you  _ever_  going to tell me?"

Anastasia stuck her sword in the soil and looked at her mother. "Yes, of course." She said and the two grinned at each other. "You would've figured it out anyway. You always figure everything out."

"Well I certainly didn't know you and Ellac were shacking up in Greece," she playfully said and her daughter cringed at the choice of vocabulary. "But you knew Csaba was with Farah. Maybe you knew this was going to happen."

Ana shrugged her shoulder. "Not really. I'm not upset at Csaba or Farah. I'm more upset with myself."

Xena knew that feeling all too well. She felt like she failed her daughter in many ways, especially when Ana came home from Greece and threw a big surprise in her face. She always told her daughter that no matter what happened, she was never disappointed with her decisions or what she did with her life and she still believed that. Now, she could see the same pain that perhaps Gabrielle saw many years ago in her own eyes.

"You shouldn't be upset with yourself. You did a very good job raising Csaba. You are a much better mother than I was."

Ana frowned and gripped her mother's forearm. "You were not a horrible mother to me. Without you I wouldn't be the person I am today. I have you and Gabrielle to thank for that. I'm sorry for making you think you were a horrible mother because you weren't. I can be difficult sometimes."

"That's no lie," she muttered and her daughter elbowed her. "Ellac and Csaba got into a bit of an argument after you left. I don't want Csaba to think that you hate him so you should probably…go talk to him. You can't hide here forever."

The queen sighed. "I guess not. How am I going to do this? I can't plan a wedding in the middle of this chaos!"

"Sure you can!" Xena smiled. "We had weddings all the time during times of war. As much as I don't like them, they are a nice distraction. When Attila married Cera, we were having trouble with the Visigoths and later the Romans." She recalled that all too well, like it was yesterday. "And when he married Kreka we were having issues with Theodosius. You remember him," she wiggled her eyebrows.

Ana smirks at the look on her mother's face and chuckles. "Oh I remember him." She sighs and pulls the sword out of the soil and lays it on her knees. "I bet Kreka was a beautiful bride."

"She and I weren't very good friends at the time but yes, she was. She made her own dress and veil to match. Her entire family came to Pannonia, including her mother." She frowned, thinking of the woman.

"Her mother? I've never heard about her. What was she like?"

Xena remembered that woman's face and was glad that she only saw her about two times in her life. "Kiral Khatun was her name," she nods her head. "She was a rude woman. I didn't know this until much later, but Kreka and her mother never got along. Kiral Khatun was the chieftain's wife. She had a lot of power over the Ashina. Anyway, she hated me," she snickered. "She died a year after Kreka married Attila."

Ana widened her eyes. "Sorry to hear that."

"Don't be sorry. She was a bitch."

"Mother!"

"What? She was." she says nonchalantly. She stood up and extended her hand. "Are you ready to go back now?"

Ana hesitantly took her mother's hand and stood. She took in a deep breath and Xena wrapped her arm around her and they walked through the woods. "I have a feeling Rabia is going to get on my nerves for the next few months."

"Oh she will but you're the grandmother," she teased her.

"Don't say that word!" she covered her ears.

"I'm going to enjoy calling you that."

* * *

A few days later Farah was accosted by all of the women in the Adame, specifically Kreka Khatun, Xena, Ana and Gabrielle. She felt like she was a toy for all of these women to play with when they found out she was getting married. She even tried to escape the queen's quarters a few times to find Csaba and hide but of course, the doors were all blocked by everyone.

She also felt really exposed standing in a black brassiere and black pants which she wore underneath her dresses. Many hands ran across her arms, hair, face and her slender thighs. Kreka and Ana were muttering their native language as they both spun her around several times, eyeing her thin frame. Rabia on the other hand was getting very annoyed that for one, she couldn't understand what the women were saying and two, she had no say in what was happening to her sister.

Xena and Gabrielle stood on the sidelines and Gabrielle offered some suggestions about the future wedding gown while Xena stood by, agreeing with her. It was obvious she didn't want anything to do with the sewing, which was going to be difficult since nobody agreed on how to construct the gown.

Kreka placed her hands on Farah's boney shoulders and spun her round to face her. She narrowed her eyes and rests her hand on the Czarina's flat stomach. " _O cok siska_ ," she said aloud and Xena laughed under her breath.

" _Gogsu haric_ ," Ana said and the khatun smirked.

Farah looked at both queens and then at the commander sneering over in the corner with the governor. "I don't understand what you two are saying."

"She called you a waif," Xena answered from afar.

Rabia gasped. "My sister is not a waif!" she protested. "I want to make the dress. We will have a traditional Banat wedding."

"You will not." Kreka towered over the elder Czarina. "She lives in Pannonia now. She will have a Hun wedding."

Farah interrupted the bickering women. "Why not half and half?" she offered and Gabrielle slapped her hands over her face, and then leaned the front of her body against Xena's. "We can combine my traditions with all of yours. My father will pay for everything!"

Kreka turned to the queen who stood with her arms folded. "Anastasia, what do you think?"

"Uh," she looked at her mother who nodded at her. "Sure, sounds good to me." She grinned. She didn't want her son to be unhappy and now that Farah was going to be her daughter in law, she didn't want her to be unhappy either which might be inevitable with all the disagreements among the women. "Instead of Kreka making your dress, I can make it for you." She said.

Xena's jaw dropped and Gabrielle turned around with a surprised look on her face. Xena shook her head and waved her hands at her daughter behind Rabia, Farah and Kreka. Anastasia kept smiling and Farah's lit up while her sister scowled.

"Xena, she doesn't know how to sew!" Gabrielle hissed.

"Don't you think I know that Gabrielle…" she said through a tight lipped and waved at her daughter.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

"Nope." Xena titled her head and felt her cheeks go numb with the smile plastered on her face. "Look at her. She wants to help."

Gabrielle shook her head. "She's going to ask you to sew the dress, you know that right?"

"Yup."

Rabia plopped down in a chair and chugged a glass of wine and sulked. Her sister was very excited and Kreka spun her around again with her hand on Farah's abdomen. "Are you sure you're pregnant?" she asked and Farah frowned.

"Yes…"

"Where is the baby? Look at you!" she gestured to the girl's thinness for the millionth time.

Xena interjected, "not everyone is a cow when they're pregnant like you, Kreka."

The khatun gasped and Gabrielle's mouth flew wide open and Anastasia covered her eyes. "I was  _not_  a cow."

"My memory says otherwise."

"I was not!"

"Okay, okay," Gabrielle stepped in between the two. "This is about Farah, not you two."

"Thank you, Gabrielle." Anastasia said gratefully. "Ellac and I will go tell your father about the wedding," she says to both of the Czarinas. "In the meantime, I can give you all of my dresses. Kreka can take them in for you. We're almost the same height so they should fit."

Farah smiled. "Oh you don't have to do that, your highness. My sister can make dresses for me. We have plenty of silk fabric back home."

Ana blinked and Xena chuckled. "Wow, silk dresses," commented Xena. "Is there gold woven in the fabric too?" she joked. Both of the Czarinas gave her a strange look and she realized this was not a joke and the Banats were obviously used to clinging to their wealth. "I was kidding."

"I don't want to interrupt this fitting but Xena and I promised we'd take Farah to the midwife," Gabrielle tells everyone.

"Great!" Farah grabbed her dress and slipped it over her head and began lacing the front of it up. "Would you like to come, your highness?" she asked Anastasia.

The queen looked at her mother and Gabrielle and smiled faintly at Farah. "If you really want me to."

Farah nodded and grabbed her sister's hand and left. Anastasia kept smiling and then saw the look on her mother's face. Both her and the governor had their arms folded and eyebrows creased. "You're going to make her wedding dress, huh?" the commander said.

"Well, I was just caught up in the moment! Did you see how happy she was?"

"You don't know how to sew."

"But  _you_  do." She playfully punched her mother's shoulder.

* * *

Farah laid down in Marsa's yurt while Anastasia and Rabia were on either side of the nervous girl. The elderly midwife gave the girl a reassuring smile and washed her hands. Xena and Gabrielle stood off to the side and watched from afar.

"Have you heard anything from the spies in Gokturk territory?" Xena whispered to her partner.

Gabriele bit her fingernail, watching the fear in Farah's eyes like she was living it through her. "Not yet. Isn't Boareks friends with the Gokturks now?"

Xena nodded. "Yes. I didn't know the Gokturks had a queen. What was her name again?"

"Yeter."

"Ah yes," she scratched her neck. "What a stupid name. She and Boareks deserve each other. While Ana and Ellac go to Banat we should send a message to Navaz. I have a feeling that Sabir witch is in the mountains right now. She's going to attack. Maybe not now, but she will."

Gabrielle started biting the skin around her fingernail and her hand was slapped by her cohort. "What? I'm just nervous."

"We should talk to Busra about this. She could tell us what Boareks is going to do then we should meet her and crush her!" she balled her fist. "Maybe I should go to Odoacer and ask to become general of his army like I was when Valentinian was in charge. That idiot," she shook her head. "What do you think? Gabrielle?"

"Oh yeah, General of Rome. You could do that again."

"Gabrielle, it's not your baby. Stop freaking out. Anyway, so we should go to Rome. Maybe we can get some dirt on Theodoric and why he went to Rome." She nods, liking the sound of that idea. She slapped Gabrielle's chest lightly. "Let's tell Ana about it tonight. I can't wait to see the look on that bastard's face!"

Farah gasped loudly in the background and Gabrielle winced. "I don't know, Xena. Rome isn't really our turf anymore. Do you really want to go over there again? We aren't going to find Boareks in Rome."

"That's not the point. We go to Rome and threaten Odoacer. He's our ally, right? So he should give me his army. Then maybe we can tell the Emperor of China to lend us some men too. I am going to have so much fun training those men." She already had everything planned out and felt Gabrielle digging her fingers in her arm. "Gabrielle!"

The midwife put Farah's dress down and washed her hands thoroughly in the water basin. Rabia smiled and ran her hand over her sister's hair. "You did great."

"I never want to do that again." Farah wiped the sweat off her forehead.

Anastasia gave the girl an apologetic look. "Sorry Farah but you will have to do this many times. It gets easier."

"Really?"

"I promise it does."

Masra finished cleaning up and looked at the nervous Czarina. "I couldn't find anything wrong with you." She saw the relief on Rabia's and Farah's faces. "Nice to see you again, your majesty," she gave a brief bow to Anastasia.

Xena pried her partner's fingers off her and marched over to her daughter. "We have things to discuss."

Ana sighed and looked down at Farah talking to her sister. "Can we talk tomorrow? I want to spend time with Farah."

Xena eyed the Banat women and kept her thoughts to herself. "Alright, I can see you're eager."

"First thing in the morning, I'm all yours!" she kissed her cheek and helped Farah off the floor.

Xena waltzed over to the governor and snatched her arm. "Let's go plan to storm into Rome, shall we?"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – _Déjà_   _Vu_

Rabia approached Xena as she was about to go gather her weapons to train the men. The meeting with Odoacer was going to have to wait, per Ana's orders. Xena quickly tried to evade the Czarina and grabbed her coined headdress and walked towards the armory.

"Xena!" she waved her arm.

The commander stopped and braced herself to talk to the unruly Czarina. This past week was very difficult on everyone, because Rabia wanted to be in charge of everything concerning the wedding. While Anastasia knew nothing about planning weddings, she asked Kreka to handle it she and Rabia bickered constantly. Xena was not ready to talk to the fair skinned Banat woman and she was sure that Kreka was going to smack her in the mouth sooner or later.

"Yes?" she turns with a smile.

Rabia presented a few scrolls and handed them over to the annoyed commander. "Here are a few sketches of the dress and Farah's measurements. Your daughter left with the king this morning to my homeland and I gave her a list of things to bring back. I trust that you can make the gown within the month."

Xena looked through the sketches and rolled them back up and handed them to Rabia. "I will get to it later. I have a lot of work to do. You can leave the sketches in my yurt." She turned and walked off in a hurry.

"But Xena, I need to have everything ready for Farah and the dress is the most important thing!"

"I am aware, Czarina, but I am a commander and duties to attend to first. Your sister will get her dress."

* * *

Arielle sat on the floor eating with Tuya, Fairuza and Cera. She finished all of her food before everyone else and was very eager to leave to go see her brother and Farah. She tried to escape and was yanked back down onto the floor by her grandmother.

"Is Csaba really marrying Farah?" she asked her grandmother and Tuya nodded while spreading hot goat cheese on crusty bread. "She's so pretty! My brother picked a really pretty wife. I didn't know she was Csaba's girlfriend!"

Fairuza spooned some jam on Cera's bread and the princess smiled up at her, thanking her with a small nod. "I'm sure you're excited to have a niece or nephew soon."

Arielle titled her head at her stepmother and Cera frowned. "Niece or nephew?"

Tuya dropped her spoon on the plate and glared at her daughter in law. "Fairuza, she doesn't know!"

The princess gasped loudly and slapped her cheeks. "Farah is having a baby?!" she yelled and Cera had a mouth full of jam covered toast and her eyes lit up. "My brother is having a baby? I'm so excited! I wanna go see Farah! Come on Cera!" she grabs her sister's hand and lifts her off the ground.

Tuya folded her arms and Fairuza sheepishly grinned. "I thought she knew…"

Gabrielle walked into the room after nearly being run over by two running princesses. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and took in a deep breath to prepare herself to talk to the two queens. She didn't mind Fairuza but she didn't care for Tuya, but she figured nobody did, even Navaz at times.

"Since Kreka is busy and Ana and Ellac are gone, I need something from you two," she tells the White queens.

"Sure, Gabrielle. What can we do for you?" Fairuza wiped her hands on a cloth and stood up, ready for any orders to be given to her.

The governor felt really jittery so she explained herself very quickly, "Since all the monarchs are gone, I need the two of you to sign this because I need two signatures. I have a decree for Xena and me to go into Rome and demand Odoacer to give the army to us. So will you sign this?" she pushed the parchment towards the queens with a cheeky grin that hurt her face.

"Let me see that," Fairuza snatched the parchment. Tuya stood and read over the decree behind the redhead's shoulder. "Gabrielle, I am not signing this. This is like a coup!"

"Not really. I mean," she stammered, "Xena –Xena's been the General of Rome before, although that was under Valentinian and he was kind of a pushover but she was really good! She did great and fought against the Persians. Just  _please_  sign the decree." She begged the queens. "Please, I really need you to sign this or Xena is going to rake me over the coals."

Tuya pointed to the last sentence. "What happens if Xena becomes General? And what is the purpose of her doing this?"

"We need more men to fight Boareks. Busra said that Odoacer's army would be good because Justinian is always warring with Odoacer. Would you please just sign the damn decree!" she wagged the pen in their faces.

* * *

Csaba sat behind Farah, massaging her shoulders on his bed. He leaned up against her and kissed her neck and she smiled, closing her eyes. "Are you feeling better?" he whispered in her ear.

"Oh yeah, I feel a lot better." She grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles. She turned around and pushed him down on the bed and climbed on top of him. He blinked and was thrown off by her sudden change in mood. Although, she normally was like this except for the last few weeks up until the last few days.

"We can stay in bed all day. We don't have to leave," she traced her fingers on his chest.

He laughed nervously. "Oh okay…" his heart raced and he grabbed her extremely thin waist. "How was the visit with the midwife?" he tried to change the subject.

Farah scoffed, "I don't want to talk about that. I just want to be with you right now."

"Well, I just want to know. Did she find anything wrong?"

"No, Csaba!" she kissed his nose. "I'm in perfect health." She reassured him and pressed her body against his and slowly slipped off the thin straps off her shoulders.

Her lips trailed along his bare chest and he took in a deep breath. "Maybe I could come with you next time?"

"Yeah sure," she barely listened.

"Csaba, Csaba!" Arielle ran inside and he pushed Farah off him and covered his lower half with the sheets. Cera waved at her brother and he rubbed the nape of his neck. "Are you  _really_  having a baby with Farah?" she was unable to contain her excitement.

"Who told you that?"

"Fairuza!" she hopped on the bed and crawled over to sit in between them. Cera crawled onto the bed and sat in her brother's lap, smiling at him which he pat the top of her head. "When will the baby be here?" She scooted closer to Farah.

Csaba sighed and massaged his forehead. "Arielle, you can't just come in here whenever you want."

"Oh I get it. You want to be alone with your  _wife_ ," she teased.

"Arielle, please leave and take Cera with you." He picked up the tiny princess and set her on the floor. Cera pouted and leaned on the edge of the bed.

Farah twisted her hair and grinned at the little girls. "They're not bothering me, Csaba. They can stay here if they want. We can continue…later." She bit her bottom lip and he lay down on the pillows, glaring at the ceiling.

* * *

Ellac and Anastasia waited in the large throne chambers for Czar Danut to make his appearance. Supposedly the adviser went to retrieve him but they were waiting for a very long time. Ellac tapped his boot on the floor anxiously and Ana looked over at his pale face.

"Nervous?" she guessed.

"A little bit. I don't want to do this. He's going to be upset when he hears that his daughter is going to marry a Hun."

Ana rolled her eyes. "Your father was friends with the Szekelys. Besides, Csaba did the right thing by coming home and telling us. He stayed with Farah unlike you."

He folded his arms and glared at his wife, suddenly feeling like everyone was targeting him. "You sound just like your mother. Let's get one thing straight, Ana, you never told me you were pregnant before I left Greece. You could have told me."

"I was fifteen, Ellac! I was scared!"

"So you ran to your mother and she interrupted my engagement ceremony! She almost killed me and if my father wasn't there, I'd be six feet under right now!"

She wisely chose to keep her words to herself and looked at the guards standing by all the exits, patiently or rather impatiently, waiting for the Czar.

He knew that his temper was getting the better of him and he sighed heavily. "I was always there for you. I even let you vomit all over me a couple of times," he joked and she finally let up and smiled at his crude jest. "I wish I could have been there for you and Csaba. I wish I could have seen him grow up. You did a much better job raising him than I ever could. He is a better man than I am."

She reached over and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "But you're here now and you have always been a great father, Ellac. Cera adores you and you love Arielle as if she were your own."

"As I've said before, Arielle is a part of you. She reminds me a lot of you as a child. We grew up together in case you forgot."

"Very funny," she squeezed his hand.

Czar Danut walked into the chambers and the Hun monarchs stopped holding hands and straightened themselves out. They shared a look with each other and Ana gave her anxious husband a brief nod. The Czar smiled at the king and queen then sat down slowly on his throne. He adjusted his long blue and gold robes and wiped his mouth with a soft linen cloth and cleared his throat.

"It is not often that I get private audience with the Hun king and queen," he began and they forced grins. "What can I do for you?"

Ellac stepped forward, "there is nothing you can do for us. We have come to inform you that…" he looked back at Ana she nodded. He took in a hefty inhale and turned back to the Czar. "My commander and governor found your daughter. She is in Pannonia right now."

Danut's eyes widened and he smiled from ear to ear. "This is wonderful news! I prayed for her return for months! I shall send your empire plenty of gifts and I should thank Xena and Gabrielle for finding my daughter. I will send my adviser to retrieve Farah and Rabia."

Anastasia bowed her head and Ellac smiled nervously. "She will not be coming back to Banat, your majesty," Ana told him. He frowned confusedly at both of the Huns. "Our son is marrying your daughter."

The Czar's eyes darkened and he tapped his fingers on his knee. "She will not be marrying your son, Queen Anastasia."

"She will. Ellac and I have already agreed. And she is carrying his child so he offered to marry her."

He raised his eyebrows. " _My_  sweet Farah?" he says softly. "She was obviously seduced by the Hun prince. Any man would love to get their hands on her. She is gorgeous much like her late mother." He waved his hand dismissing the Hun monarchs. "I do not approve of this marriage. I want her brought back to Banat!"

"She belongs to us now," Ellac assured him and Ana stepped forward, clinging close to her husband.

"Wrong, Hun King. She belongs to  _me_!" he slammed his fist on the armrest and the two did not flinch. "When she is returned to me I will have her womb cleansed so that child can be gotten rid of."

Ellac felt his wife's anger radiating off her skin and he slowly turned his head and saw the same look Xena had in her eyes when she was infuriated. He feared that she might lash out and kill the Czar. Anastasia balled her fists up and reached for the sword at her hip and Ellac wasn't going to be the one to stop her.

"Gotten rid of?" she repeated and the Czar sat in silence. "That is my son's child!" she yelled.

"You Huns believe that you can conquer anything that you touch. My daughter is not a commodity."

"Nobody said she was!" she pulled out her sword and Ellac snatched her wrist to stop her. "Csaba has taken very good care of her."

"That is up for debate. My daughter is pregnant and your son is the one who kidnapped her."

Ana smirked, "she went willingly. My mother should have let you die."

"What are you on about?"

"Oh, you don't know?" she scoffed. "Your  _loyal_  general and commander were plotting to assassinate you and my mother stopped Pascal. Unfortunately, Balasz killed himself before she got the chance to. Your eldest daughter was kind enough to let Pascal live. He is still in Pannonia under my mother's supervision."

He sat in shock and the two Huns smiled at him with satisfaction.

She let go of her sword and Ellac breathed a sigh of relief. "Farah is marrying our son."

"Then she is no longer welcome in Banat because she is no daughter of mine."

"I wouldn't want her to be here either especially with a father like  _you_." She insulted him and his jaw dropped. "Ellac, let's go before I do something I might regret. Tell Ernak and Dengi to stop rebuilding the kingdom and return to Pannonia." She said as she made her way out of the room. Ellac bowed his head at the Czar and gave him a sly wink then followed his wife hastily.

* * *

Xena entered the Adame and Gabrielle stormed right by her holding the decree in her hand. She grinned and wanted to speak to her but was ignored. "Did you get that signed?"

Gabrielle waved the paper in the air angrily as she kept walking without stopping. "Working on it!" she yelled out and rounded the corner. Her plea to Fairuza and Tuya did not work and since Ana, Ellac, Ernak and Dengi were not here, she had to resort to another power in the household.

Arielle and Cera ran by her and they tried to talk to her but she kept walking. She couldn't afford any distractions at the moment. The princesses ran over to their grandmother which they received a big welcoming smile.

"Are you going to teach me how to ride a horse today?" Arielle asked her grandmother.

Xena sighed, nearly forgetting that promise she made a couple of days ago. "Can we do it tomorrow?" she offered and the princess pouted.

"You said that yesterday! Today is tomorrow, grandma! You promised me!"

"You're right. I did promise you." She muttered. "I don't have to go back to work a few hours. We can go to the field right now if you want?" she said and Arielle nodded. She grabbed both of the girls' hands and walked out of the foyer together.

Arielle swung her arm back and forth and hopped down the stairs, while Cera tried to keep up with her grandmother's long strides. "How come nobody told me Farah is having a baby?"

Xena cringed, "how did you find out about that?"

"Fairuza told me!"

"Your stepmother has a big mouth."

* * *

Kreka and Rabia were in a room together, talking about their differences of opinion for the upcoming wedding. So far, the two had agreed upon nothing and their bickering was put to an end when Gabrielle rushed in, interrupting them. She slammed the paper on the table and both Kreka and Rabia looked at the paper and then to the governor.

"Sign this," she set the pen in front of the queen mother.

"What is it?" Kreka grabbed the paper and read it quickly.

"A decree for Xena to demand Odoacer's army. So if you would please just sign this then I'll be on my way."

The khatun snickered and pushed the document to the blonde. "There is no way in hell I am signing that. Xena has lost her mind. Odoacer will never give her the Roman army."

Gabrielle massaged her temples and calmed herself before answering. "If you don't sign this, Xena is going to break the law and go to Rome by herself. I just need two signatures so sign it!" she demanded and wasn't going to take no for an answer a third time.

Kreka folded her arms and cocked her head at the fuming Greek woman. "No."

"Dammit Kreka!" she yelled and Rabia sank in her chair awkwardly. "Xena is expecting this document to be signed by tonight. I just need two signatures. Please, for the love of god, sign this so I don't have to face her and tell her the bad news. You know she will go on her own to Rome and defy Ana's orders."

"I'm not signing that so Xena can rule over Rome again. If you need two signatures, who were you going to get to sign that abomination?"

Gabrielle frowned and shyly mutters, "Csaba…"

Kreka laughed. "You're both out of your minds! Xena is insane! I am not signing that and neither is Csaba!"

"Thanks for nothing." She grabbed the paper and pen. "Now she's going to be furious and I'm going to be at the other end of that!"

"You're the one who has to sleep in the same bed as her." the khatun smiled and Rabia raised her eyebrow. Frustrated with the outcome of this decree and situation, Gabrielle growled and left the room. Kreka smiled and looked at Rabia who was very bemused and a bit disturbed as well. "So, since Xena is making the wedding dress, I'd like to make the senlik dress. I've made two for Anastasia and one for Leila and Bakkah."

The Czarina curtly grinned and set her hand on the queen mother's. "We don't have senliks in Banat, khatun. We have seretas and they last for three days. The mother wears a different dress each day so I think I should be in charge of that."

"Three days?!"

Rabia nodded slowly. "Farah said she wants to combine both of our cultures so we could compromise. You people can have your senlik one of the days and the sereta can be two days. How's that?" she batted her eyelashes to patronize the queen mother.

* * *

Gabrielle knew this was going to be an awful conversation and evening for her so she went the extra mile and cleaned the entire yurt while Xena was busy training the recruits all day. She also cooked dinner and took two bottles of wine from the cellar in the Adame too. For the last couple of hours she put out an entire spread of food on the large rug in the sitting area.

She placed the large bowl of rice in the center of the rug and arranged the smaller bowls filled with spiced yogurt, fresh red peppers and pickled vegetables around the rice bowl. Smiling to herself, she looked at the nice spread and nodded, thinking this was good enough. Perhaps she could distract the commander with food and then break the news slowly and cautiously. She then put a plate of bread next to a large bowl of diced goat meat.

The commander rode up to the yurt and Gabrielle heard the horse hooves outside and quickly ran over to the grab one of the wine bottles and snagged two cups to set them around the plates. Xena walked inside and threw down her headdress into a chair and then eyed the nice spread on the floor and Gabrielle staring at her with the biggest smile on her face.

She smirked and gestured to the food, "what's this?"

"We don't have dinner very often so I thought I'd make this for you." Gabrielle nervously poured a glass of wine and handed it to the suspicious brunette. "Here, you probably need this." She hinted and Xena looked at the wine in the cup and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off. "You must be exhausted." She slipped the fur coat off the commander's shoulders and Xena frowned, eyeing the very amenable governor.

Gabrielle then unbuckled the corset around Xena's waist and set it down gently on top of the long fur coat. "Come sit with me." She pushed her forward and Xena looked at the food and then was pushed down to the pillow and gazed at the spread. Gabrielle hurried to sit down opposite her and poured herself a glass of wine.

She pointed to the bowl of peppers. "I picked these today. I know you like them with rice." She urged.

"This is…very nice, Gabrielle, but what is going on? What are you up to?" she asked.

"Nothing! Can't I do something nice for you? Tell me about your day." She nursed the cup of wine and Xena titled her eyebrow into her fringed bangs and kept gawking at her with a dazed look. "I'm sure those recruits are you driving you nuts, am I right?"

Xena tapped her fingers on the cup and eyed the food in front of her. "Just a regular day in the field…" she played along. "One of the boys face planted in the grass while he was running laps."

Gabrielle laughed and spooned some rice on the plate for her partner. Xena frowned and watched her spooning far too much rice on the plate. "You work those boys really hard. Maybe Csaba could teach you some Chinese strategies?"

"Uh huh." Xena looked at Gabrielle pouring yogurt on top of the mound of rice and then scooping some of the goat on the side. "Did you get the decree signed like I asked?"

The governor paled and kept making the plate accordingly. "Kreka and Rabia were arguing about the wedding. You should have seen them."

"I bet Kreka is going to slap her any day now. About the decree…" she pressed.

"I don't think so. Anastasia has been very nice to Rabia since she found about the baby." She evaded all the questions relating to the decree and worried that Xena noticed. "Do you want peppers or the pickled vegetables?" she pointed to the bowls.

Xena breathed out through her nostrils and glared at the governor with a sour look. "Gabrielle, stop avoiding my question."

"Peppers or vegetables…"

"Peppers. Did you get it signed or not?"

Gabrielle grabbed two peppers and set them on top of the rice. "Do you want two pieces of bread or three?"

"Gabrielle!"

"Three pieces it is and no I couldn't get it signed," she slyly slipped that in. "Do you want more peppers?" she smiled anxiously and Xena sat in silence.

"I asked you to do one thing for me."

Gabrielle sighed and set the plate on the floor. "I tried, I really tried! Nobody would sign it! Fairuza, Tuya, Kreka, Csaba! Nobody!" she dug her fingernails in her hair and breathed heavily.

Xena smiled softly and saw how stressed Gabrielle was and decided to let it go for now. "I'll wait until Ana comes back and she can sign the decree." She said and grabbed the plate of food. "Aren't you going to make a plate for yourself? I'm not going to eat alone and you worked very hard on this spread. It would be a shame for it to go to waste."

Gabrielle sat with a dumbfounded expression upon her face and the brunette winked at her and scooped the rice into the bread and lifted her wine glass before taking a sip. She couldn't believe that Xena was being so calm about all of this and now she was the suspicious one.

"That's it? That's all you're going to say?"

"What do you want me to do? Yell at you?"

"A little bit yeah," Gabrielle admitted a bit too quickly.

"Gabrielle." she wiped her mouth and looked into her doe eyes. "I'm not going to hold anything against you because some monarchs won't sign a decree."

The governor folded her arms.

"You should really eat some of this. It's very good."

"Who are you?"

* * *

In the king's quarters, Ernak and Dengi listened to their brother tell them what happened in Banat and why they were uprooted from their work they had been doing for the last couple of weeks. Ernak rubbed his chin and kept shaking his head.

"What a piece of goat shit," he said and his brother agreed. "How could he do that to his own daughter? He disowned her! Did you hit him?" he asked Anastasia.

She shot him a look of defiance. "No, I didn't."

"She almost sliced him," Ellac said with a big grin and he was slapped in the chest by his wife.

"I didn't get anything on the list that Rabia asked for. We were supposed to get over thirty yards of silk for all the dresses." She sighed and buried her face in her hands.

Ernak gasped. "Silk?!" he spat. "Wow, those Banats sure have a lot of coin to spend."

Ana rubbed her face and looked over at her husband. "Farah's dress was supposed to be the silk fabric with the gold in it. How are we supposed to get that now?"

Ellac shrugged. "We will buy some at the square in the outskirts."

Ernak nearly keeled over. "She is going to run you dry, brother! Silk with gold? By god!"

"She is my son's soon to be wife. She can have whatever she wants."

"Can I be married to Csaba?" Ernak joked and Dengi hit him on the back of the head. He looked over at the frazzled queen and tapped her knee to grab her attention. "Did you tell Farah and Rabia about this yet?"

She shook her head. "I need to talk to Gabrielle and my mother first. Excuse me," she got up and walked in between the brothers.

"So, why didn't you let her kill him?" Ernak asked his elder brother. Dengi nodded and leaned in with his brother and Ellac nervously looked at them both. "She is really starting to look and sound like Xena, minus all the killing."

"Yeah, if Xena were there, the Czar would be headless!" Dengi joked and laughed with his little brother.

"You shouldn't joke like that, brother. Once Ana tells Xena about this, the Czar might be dead later. You never know." Ernak shrugged.

Ellac pinched his brows together. "Knock it off you two. Nobody is going to die."

"Yet!"

* * *

Farah rolled over onto her stomach and stretched her arm out, hoping to find Csaba next to her but when she felt the cold spot on the bed, her eyes fluttered open. She sat up slowly and turned at the sound of grunting and panting on the floor. She leaned over the edge of the bed and found Csaba doing pushups on the ground with two planks on his back.

His arms shook as he lowered his body to the floor and she amusedly watched him and he lifted his head when he felt her eyes on him. "What are you doing?" she inquired.

"Just…working on my form." He took the planks off and sat on his heels, staring at Farah who was smiling sweetly at him. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and crawled over to the bed and rose to his knees. "How do you feel?"

"I feel fine." She ran her fingers through his sweaty locks. "We should really have a bath in your room. I don't like going to the bathhouse across the field."

He kissed her hand and climbed onto the bed and she sat up, sitting very close to his sweaty body. "My mother has one in her room, but that's the only room in the Adame with a bathhouse. The women's baths are really nice and a lot larger than the men's."

"We should ask your parents if we can build one in your room." She suggested and he sighed heavily.

"I'll ask them…" he tried to satiate all of her requests the best that he could. He wrapped an arm around her and felt her bony ribs against his fingers and frowned. "Did you eat yet?" he tried to sound like he wasn't pressuring her but she got off the bed with a scowl on her face and a wave of fear passed over him.

"I'm just wondering. I am going to the bathhouse and we can eat at the dining hall together," he offered and she folded her arms.

"Why are you so concerned about my eating habits?" she asks defensively.

He stammered, "well, I…I just want you to…I mean…" he stood up. "You said you were feeling better so I thought maybe you'd like to eat…something other than…tea?" he hoped he wasn't being too pushy but the expression on her face was not pleasing to look at. "I'm just worried about you."

"You're just like my sister. She's always trying to force me to eat copious amounts of food!"

Csaba frowned and took a step closer to her. "This has happened before?" his voice was soft and she turned her cheek. "Farah, if you have a problem you should –"

"I do not have a problem!" she shoved his chest and he bowed his head.

He recalled that the time they spent together in China and Akitziri, that she did not eat a lot of food either. He never noticed until now when it was very apparent that she tried to avoid food as much as possible. At first he didn't push food towards her because she was very sick but now that she revealed that she felt better, he thought she'd be eating a lot more.

"I can get my mother to help you. All the women here would be happy to help you. Listen Farah, you can't just not eat food. You're pregnant and you need to eat." He explained and she furrowed her eyebrows. "I'll…come back in a couple of hours and we will go to the dining hall." He kissed her forehead.

* * *

Gabrielle looked over the sketches that Rabia dropped off a couple of days ago and widened her eyes at the fine details in the drawings. Most of the dress sketches had long bell shaped sleeves and a ten foot train. None of the wedding dresses that she'd seen here in Pannonia looked anything like these.

Ana walked into the yurt and Gabrielle smiled. "Hello Gabrielle," she greeted and searched for her mother quietly.

"She's sleeping," she nudged her head to the bedroom. "You're back early! I didn't even hear you come in this morning."

"Yes…we had a bit of an issue with the Czar." She says calmly. "Can you go wake up my mother? I really need to talk to her."

"Okay…" she got up off the floor and Anastasia peered down at the sketches sprawled across the rug. "Rabia dropped those off. Very pretty designs, right?" she smiled and the queen nodded. She sensed that Anastasia was not herself and a bit upset. She saw it plainly in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"No. Can you just go wake her up?"

Gabrielle walked into the bedroom and Anastasia sat down on the floor, admiring the sketches for Farah's wedding dress. She smiled at the gold and white dress and knew that Rabia was going to be very upset when she finds out that there would be no silk fabric or any of the other things she asked for such as flowers and draperies.

Moments later Xena groggily walked out of the bedroom and combed her waist length hair with her fingers then smiled at her daughter. Gabrielle took a seat on the floor and collected all of the papers and compiled them together in a pile off to the side. Xena sat down and eyed her anxious daughter.

"What's wrong?"

Ana thought that she was horrible at hiding her emotions, but even when she tried, her mother always knew something was amiss. "I…couldn't get the fabrics from Banat like Rabia asked."

Xena frowned. "We can buy fabric here." She gazed into her daughter's forlorn eyes. "But you're not here because of the fabric, are you?"

The queen shook her head. "Ellac and I told the Czar about the marriage and the baby…" she began and saw the anticipation from her mother. "And…he doesn't want to ever see Farah again. And that she is no longer welcome in Banat."

Gabrielle gasped. "That is horrible."

"I haven't told Farah or Rabia yet. I wanted to talk to you both first. I don't know what to do! She is going to be devastated."

"How could he do that to his daughter?" Gabrielle felt sick just saying it aloud.

Xena folded her arms. "And is the Czar still alive?"

"Yes mother. I didn't kill him. He wanted to get rid of the baby! My son's child –his daughter's child. How could he even think to do that?"

Xena turned to the pale governor. "Do you want to take a road trip to Banat tomorrow?"

Ana smiled at her mother's offer but knew that would only end in bloodshed and that wouldn't be good for anyone. "Thank you mother but I don't think you're going to change his mind."

"Who said anything about changing his mind?"

"I am more worried about Farah. I want her to feel like she is at home here but I know that this news is going to crush her. What should I do?"

Gabrielle covered Xena's mouth. "Don't tell her anything yet. Go get the fabric from the square and then tell her later. She just got here and is still adjusting."

"Alright." Ana sighed deeply. "Thank you. I should go back to the Adame. Gabrielle, have you heard anything from the spies yet?"

"Nothing yet."

Xena slapped her partner's hand away from her mouth. "We all know Boareks is in the Caucasus. She's going to attack eventually."

Ana stood up, "one thing at a time. I can't handle anything else right now."

Gabrielle eyed the decree on the floor and snatched it up and stood in front of Ana. "Could I bother you to sign this?"

The queen frowned and read the decree. "You both want to go to Rome and take Odoacer's army?" she asked and Gabrielle nodded. She sighed and signed her name at the bottom. "Go ahead. Be my guest. Odoacer is a snake and if he agrees then Boareks won't be able to survive a Roman and Hun allied attack." She smiled at the governor and walked out of the yurt.

"That was easy!" Gabrielle cheered and waved the signed decree in Xena's face. "I got it signed! Now time to find Ellac." She grinned evilly.

* * *

Csaba walked out of the bathhouse and spotted his mother making her way to their home. He ran over and called out to her and she smiled, happy to see his face. "Mom!" he waved and hugged her warmly then kissed her cheeks. "I didn't know you were back."

"We had to come back earlier than expected."

"Are you busy? I need to talk to you." He stared at her intensely and she looked at the Adame and then to her son. She could see that he really wanted to talk.

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"It's about Farah." He began and her cheeks flushed. "I'm really worried about her. Every time I mention food she gets really angry. She won't eat anything and she's not sick anymore because she told me she feels better now. I think she has a problem. Can you please talk to her? She won't listen to me!"

"Csaba, if she really does have a problem, she's going to be really defensive when you bring it up. Instead of making it about her, you should tell her to think about the baby." She advised and he frowned.

"Mother, I'm not going to talk her. She doesn't listen to me."

She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked at him apologetically. "She's going to be your wife,  _tatli_   _cocuk_. You can't just run to me every single time you two have an argument."

"You run to grandma all the time when you and father argue!"

"Yes I do but for advice only then I go talk to your father. I gave you my advice now it's up to you to talk to her." She kissed his cheek and he grumbled under his breath. "I'll tell you what; if she still won't listen then I will talk to her, okay?"

"Thanks…" he muttered.

* * *

Farah stood in the front of the mirror and adjusted the black veil on her head. She turned to the side and smoothed out her black dress that she got in China and looked at Csaba in the reflection. She frowned and he closed the door behind him and approached her.

She grabbed the comb off the vanity and brushed through her hip length hair. He put his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "You look very beautiful."

"You always say that."

"But I always mean it." He stepped away and she fixed her hair and he let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry for what I said. I'm just worried about…" he remembered what his mother said and could feel Farah's eyes glaring at him through the glass mirror. "Worried about the baby. I don't want you to feel like I attacked you –"

"Attacked me?" she spun around and his eyes grew in horror.

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Then  _what_  did you mean?"

"I just…I…I want you to feel comfortable," he gripped her arms and she pursed her lips. "I'm sorry. I'm really bad at this. I care about you and I don't want to make you upset but I really want to help you. If you have a problem…" he kept staring at her and felt her body heat rising. "I want to help you and want you to know that nothing is wrong with you. I'll be here for you."

Her face muscles relaxed and stopped tensing her shoulders. "You're so nice to me."

Csaba smiled. "Wow that was easy. My mother was right. Talking to you is easier than I thought."

She gasped and pushed him away. "You told your mother?!"

"Are…you angry?" he hoped not.

"Why would you do that?"

"I –I…I was concerned! I didn't know what to do!"

She groaned and brushed by him, rushing out of the room.

"Farah!" he yelled. "Fuck!" he kicked the bed post.

* * *

Gabrielle lingered outside the yurt while Xena was tending to her horse. "Are you going to give me the surprise now?" she pestered.

Xena continued brushing her horse down. "No. I'm waiting until the right moment."

She waltzed around and ran her palm down the horse's snout and Xena glared at her over the horse's saddle. "And  _when_  exactly is the right moment…"

"Don't touch my horse, governor." The commander warned. "You'll get your surprise when I say so. Back away from my horse…"

Gabrielle stepped away and had a delicious smile on her lips. "So, I got the decree signed. You can thank me now." She put a hand on her chest dramatically and added, "thank you Gabrielle for doing this for me. Thank you for talking to Kreka, Fairuza and Tuya. Thank you for everything and I love you so much." She teased.

Xena raised an eyebrow. "You think you're so funny, huh?"

"Thank you for being so kind and not giving me a hard time for all the mistakes I've made…" she continued.

"Alright Gabrielle that's enough."

"Just say it!"

"Thank you! Okay, you want something else?" she scoffed and Gabrielle batted her lashes. "God…" she muttered and threw the brush inside her saddlebag and looked out at the field. Farah was marching across the field by herself and Xena cocked her head. "Czarina's on a mission," she pointed outward.

Gabrielle turned and saw the grimace on Farah's face and people moving out of her way. She folded her arms and didn't exactly know where the Czarina was headed to. Then Farah's pace slowed and she fainted on the grass.

Xena's mouth gaped and ran into the field. Many people surrounded the Czarina and a man knelt down to pick her up and Xena shoved him out of the way. "Don't touch her!" she snarled. "Back away!" she yelled at surrounding onlookers and they took generous steps back.

Gabrielle knelt down and checked Farah's pulse. "What happened to her? She just collapsed."

"I don't know." Xena picked up the Banat girl in her arms with ease. "Go tell Anastasia and I will bring her inside."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Farah awoke to many pairs of eyes staring down at her and she sunk down in the pillows. She looked around at the high wooden panel ceilings and the huge chandelier which was not in Csaba's bedroom. By the size of the bed and huge posts with white drapes wrapped about them, she gathered she was in the queen's quarters. The last thing she remembered was arguing with Csaba and then walking out into the field. She had no idea how she got here and why she was here either.

She felt like she was on display as all the women kept gawking at her and heard some women she didn't recall meeting before, whispering to each other. The four queens smiled at her and felt her cheek being caressed by her sister's hand.

"How did I get in here?"

"You fainted," Xena said and Farah whipped her head to the side and saw her sitting in a chair beside the bed. "I brought you here."

Rabia scooted closer to her little sister and kissed her forehead. "I was so worried about you. Why didn't you say that you weren't feeling well?"

The younger Czarina frowned and sat up slowly and felt a bit uneasy at all the eyes upon her. "I feel fine!"

"You're not fine, Farah! You fainted outside! What's wrong with you? Are you sick? Do you feel dizzy?" she ran her palm over Farah's forehead. "Did you eat anything?"

"Stop it!" she smacked her sister's hand away. "I just want to be alone!" she swung her legs out of the bed and attempted to get up and swayed to the side. She gripped the bed post trying to get herself balanced.

Anastasia helped the girl back into the bed and sat down to cover her with the silk blankets. "Csaba told me about your argument. I just want to let you know that this isn't an interrogation and we all care about you. Ursula and Handan offered to cook for you and Bakkah will let you babysit Kurt so you will get plenty of practice."

"I don't need to be watched over! I am not a child! I don't have a problem!" she breathed heavily and began hyperventilating. Ana's eyes widened and the other women looked at each other frantically. She placed a hand over her beating heart and scooted away from all the women staring at her.

Xena stood up and grabbed Farah and firmly planted her against the pillows. "You need to relax, girl!" she yelled and Farah flinched. "This isn't Banat and you can't prance around doing whatever you want. Your body doesn't belong to you anymore. You are responsible for a child now and you aren't doing a very good job by starving yourself for no reason. We are trying to help you and you're acting like a spoiled brat."

"Mother!" Ana griped.

"Your father doesn't want to see you ever again. We are your family now so do as these women say and everything will work out. You will do as my daughter says and obey her orders. You understand, yes?" she pressured her. Farah's breathing returned to normal and she stared at all the women with teary eyes.

Kreka smirked. "Leave it to Xena to break a girl's heart."

Xena let go of the frazzled Banat girl and took a step backward. Tears streamed down Farah's cheeks and she clutched the fabric of her dress. "My father doesn't want to see me again?"

"No," she regretfully told her.

Rabia was beside herself and glared at the queen. "My father would never say that. He loves Farah."

"He did," Ana said. "She is forbidden to step foot in Banat. Perhaps Pascal should have assassinated your father to save himself from the shame he's brought on his kingdom. His general and your husband, allied with Queen Boareks and Justinian behind his back. He is not fit to rule his kingdom anymore."

"What are you saying?" Rabia lifted her chin.

"Perhaps your kingdom would be better if it was ruled by Huns instead," Ana cast a satisfactory grin. "And  _perhaps_  I should send Csaba in to claim your father's throne."

Rabia gasped. "You can't do that!"

"Just watch me."

Xena clamped her hands together and smiled at all the women in the room and turned to the flustered Banat women. "I'm going to have a very busy summer."

* * *

King Theodoric galloped into Balaam and Navaz ran outside of the Adame to meet with him. Several Huns surrounded the Goth king and his entourage. Theodoric put up his hand to show that he meant no harm and allowed the White Hun king to approach him with caution.

"What brings you to Balaam, Goth king?" asks Navaz.

"I know we are not considered friends but I have worked with Huns in the past in times of need." He began and felt nervous with all the spears pointing at his head. "Might we continue this conversation in a more private setting?"

Navaz shook his head. "Out here is fine. I don't want your kind in my home. Surely, you understand."

Theodoric nodded and looked at the snowy mountains behind Balaam. "The mountains have eyes," he says lowly and the White Hun king turned around, staring at the territory once occupied by the venomous Gokturks. "The Sabir Queen is watching you, Hun king. She is working with Justinian. Her mission is to destroy every Hun clan."

Navaz tilted his head and watched the silent mountains. "Why are you giving me this information? We are not allies."

The Goth king smiled faintly. "As I said, we are not friends, but I am not willing to side with that woman. She makes Xena look like a saint and that's not easy to do. I have decided to split the Western Roman Empire with Odoacer and now that he is allies with the Pannonian Huns I trust we can all be more civil with each other."

"Anastasia mentioned that she allied with Odoacer. If you're also his ally then why have you succumbed to the Sabir Queen and her people? She is a monster."

Theodoric chuckled. "She is more than a monster. Anastasia is a very smart woman much like her mother. In fact, I believe she is smarter than Xena. She has really grown into a fine woman and I'd hate to see her die at the Sabir's sword."

"That's not going to happen. I'll make sure it doesn't."

"You still care for her, Hun king?"

Navaz swallowed and glanced back at the mountains. "Yes, of course. She used to be my wife and she is the mother of my daughter. Is there any other reason why you're here?"

"Just to warn you that Boareks is near and you should be very careful. She has ballistic weapons and she's not afraid to use them." He bowed his head. "I will be on my way now. Best of luck to you, White Hun."

Zolten looked at the Goth king leaving with his entourage and gazed at his king. "Do you believe him?"

"I do. If Anastasia is Odoacer's ally then I should be inclined to trust him." He breathed out heavily and turned to his general. "Right?" he whispered, unsure of himself.

"Yes, your majesty." He concluded and swayed on his heels. "Shall I send scouts to the mountains to look for Boareks?"

"Yes, yes. You do that." Navaz stroked his beard. "And notify my wife and mother about this meeting with Theodoric."

* * *

Balmaq and Iliger ran down the mountain to their mother's tent after they witnessed the Goth king discussing something that looked rather important with the White Hun king. Balmaq entered his mother's tent first and found her writing with Kutilzis sitting on the floor, sharpening a blade. Iliger glared at his little brother which Kutilzis took notice of and Boareks lifted her head slowly, eyeing her second eldest son having an intense stare off with her youngest child.

"If you don't have any important information for me then get out," she waved her hand and went back to writing.

Balmaq stood straight and elbowed his arrogant dumb brother in the gut. "Mother, we saw the Visigoth king talking with King Khushnavaz. What do you want us to do?"

She continues writing without lifting the pen off the paper. "Nothing. The Goth king is no concern of mine any longer." She licked the pen and dipped it into the ink well.

Iliger scoffed. "But mother –"

"Silence!" she yelled and her eldest sons flinched. "I have a mission for you. Go to Banat and kill the Czar. I want his head delivered to the Pannonian Huns but do it discreetly. I don't want you to get caught. Surely the White Hun king knows that I am here so I am leaving with Queen Yeter and Bamin to go east."

"Why are you going east? The Pannonians are –"

"I know very well where the Pannonians are, Balmaq," she tersely replies and he bows his head at her harsh tone. She sure had a way to make him and his brothers feel like a pebble in her shoe. He was convinced that she did not care for them, at least not like a normal mother would. "I will be going to Kazakhstan to eradicate the Nezak Huns. I am putting Iliger in charge of combating the White Huns if they choose to attack."

Iliger seemed too eager to fight against the Huns but Kutilzis felt left out. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked his mother.

"You will stay here with Iliger." She stood up and folded the letter and smiled at her sons. "I have to deliver this. Behave yourselves," she eyed her eldest sons and exited the tent.

Iliger smacked his little brother on the back of his head and lifted him up by the collar. "You better not get in my way, you rat!"

"You best let go of me!" Kutilzis warned and his brother shoved him onto the ground.

"You were always mother's and father's favorite. Mother should have gotten rid of you when you were but a seed in her womb." He spat in his teen brother's face and Balmaq chuckled at their squabble. "You are no brother of mine." He slapped his older brother on the shoulder. "Let us round up the men and we shall have wine together before your mission in Banat," he grins and Balmaq follows him out of their mother's tent.

Kutilzis rubbed his throat and adjusted his gold collar and frowned sadly. The short time he spent in Balaam with all the Hun women and children were some of the most normal times in his life. At first, he was in shock that there were so many queens and even his own mother didn't know, but he was fascinated how all of the children played together. And all of the children were not related directly and neither were the women yet they all got along.

He did not have such a luxury. Both of his brothers were many years older than him and they both resented his existence. Though his mother protected him from his brothers; that only made things worse with his relationship with them. They despised him especially Iliger. His late father often told him that one day he would the greatest of kings but he said no such thing to his elder sons. Kutilzis knew that was one of the reasons why he was so hated by his siblings.

Living among the Hun children and women for awhile wasn't so horrible. They weren't the monsters that his parents claimed them to be. All of the women were very kind but he was targeted once the superior Hun queen found out who he was. Only now did he realize that he would never be loved by his siblings and sometimes he questioned his mother's love for him as well.

* * *

While men were not normally allowed within the women's quarters, Anastasia made an exception and permitted her son to stay with Farah for short periods during the day. The first week after Xena broke the news to the Czarinas was very hard on everyone, especially Rabia. She didn't want to believe that her father would say something so horrible about his daughter, but she came to the realization that her father didn't want anything to do with Farah and that meant she didn't want anything to do with him either.

Xena sat on the floor, sewing Farah's dress that Ana was supposed to be making. She worked on the gown for two weeks, though her mind was elsewhere. She was counting down the days until her grandson's wedding. She desperately wanted to go to Rome and rub the contract in his face, but she was stuck here until that day would come, which seemed like an eternity away.

Despite all of the chaos, Anastasia was beginning to realize that war was always going to be in the way but that shouldn't prevent normal life from intervening from time to time. She tried to act calm around everyone and put her work aside to focus on her son and Farah, but it proved more difficult than she thought. She suddenly knew why her mother never wanted her to marry Ellac when they were so young. Weddings were hard work.

Gabrielle sat beside Xena, sewing her headdress that she had been adding on to for the last two weeks. She poked her thumb and hissed slightly. Xena smirked and dug the thick needle in the gold and white silk dress.

"Having problems?" she mused.

"No! I got it…" muttered the governor. She had the base of the headdress complete awhile ago but didn't have time to add the details such as coins and beads. She began to really hate beads as she had to meticulously sew each one on individually on the headpiece.

Frustrated from her lack of patience she took a break to stretch her fingers. She leaned back on the pillows and her eyes lingered on Csaba and Farah talking together not too far from where she and Xena sat. She witnessed a big smile on Farah's fuller cheeks and couldn't help but smile herself.

"Farah's doing a lot better. Wouldn't you say so?"

Xena nodded. "Mhm." She focused on sewing the bell sleeves. "Damn this dress," she cursed.

"Farah wanted that design. You're doing a great job so far!" Gabrielle teased.

"This thing weighs more than my winter coat." She spread the dress out on the floor and looked at the high waist line and looked over at her grandson planting his lips on the Czarina. "Hey!" she yelled, startling both of them. "You're not married yet."

Csaba blushed and Farah smiled, brushing a long tendril behind her ear. "You don't have to look, grandma."

Her eyes widened and Gabrielle couldn't help herself from laughing. "As long as I'm in the room, you won't be doing any of  _that_  –no kissing, no touching –none of it." She wagged her finger and he crookedly grinned.

"Yes ma'am." He saluted, knowing that calling her that would get on her nerves.

Before she could retort, Gabrielle covered her mouth. "Be nice…" she whispered. "He really cares about her, doesn't he?" she admired and slipped her hand off the mouthy commander's lips. "I gotta admit, Farah is the most spoiled girl I've ever met. She enjoys all the attention."

"Really, Gabrielle. I didn't notice," Xena says flatly. "She obviously got everything she wanted back in Banat. She probably never had to lift a finger back home." She gazed down at the unfinished dress and looked back at Farah who was talking with Rabia and Csaba. "Hopefully this dress will fit her next week."

Gabrielle eyed the dress and turned to the Czarina who no longer looked like a twig that anyone could break in half, but more filled out, yet still very slender. She also finally looked like she was pregnant and her flat abdomen no longer existed.

"You could have another fitting with her," she suggests.

Xena really didn't care for fitting sessions with Farah. She was her least favorite to fit dresses for. Ana was easy and so was Leila but Farah always tried to boss everyone around and constantly asked if every single thing she wore made her look bigger than she was which was impossible because as Kreka said, the girl was a twig.

Anastasia walked into the room and observed all of the women sewing dresses in a circle together. Her mother and Gabrielle were off to the side in their own corner. She smiled at her son and Farah acknowledged her with a simple bow of her head. She walked around the room and Busra sat next to Kreka, focused on sewing a dress, much like everyone else in the room.

For once, the queen felt she was incompetent as she didn't know how to sewing anything, at least not to the extent like everyone else. Even her own mother knew how to sew, but she didn't. Leila was sewing her own dress for the wedding ceremony. Bakkah was sewing hers as well while also watching her son sleeping in a bassinet beside her.

She sat down in between Kreka and Busra and both women smiled at her and continued digging their needles in the fabrics. She crossed her legs and admired their skills and they were too busy to converse with her. Ursula and Handan sat together, talking quietly to each other while also working on their dresses.

Kreka felt Ana's angst. "Feeling out of place,  _tatli_   _kiz_?" she asks without taking her eyes off the fabric.

Ana didn't want to admit it but she couldn't deny it. She exhaled deeply. "A little bit." She eyed all the women focused on sewing. Her mother was also working on the most important gown of all which was supposed to be her job. "I feel useless. Is there something I can do?"

Her aunt chuckled softly. "You are definitely not useless, Anastasia. You run an entire empire. Be happy that you don't have to sew a dress as well."

"Rabia is sewing your dress for you," Kreka said to Ana.

"What? She is? She doesn't have to do that."

"Well, you stuck your mother with Farah's dress so Rabia was kind enough to make yours," the khatun lifted her eyes and winked at the miffed queen. "Ellac spent a lot of coin on this fabric. If this is what every wedding is like in Banat I'd hate to see what the seretas are like."

Anastasia frowned. "Seretas?"

Kreka glared at Rabia. "They're like senliks. Rabia was…very persistent that we split up the ceremony. Farah wanted to combine our cultures so the sereta will be two days and we get one day for the senlik. Apparently seretas are three days long and the mother has a dress for each day."

Ana felt her stomach drop. "Three days?!" she shouted and alarmed everyone around her. She sheepishly smiled and waved her hand to let them get back to work. "Who in god's name has a party that lasts three days?"

The queen mother shrugged and bit off the thread with her teeth and fluffed the sleeves out. "Your son just had to pick the wealthiest and most spoiled girl in the Balkans." She teased her. "Perhaps you should talk to your husband about Farah's and Rabia's requests and expenses."

Anastasia frowned. "How much were the fabrics?"

"Oh you mean the decorations too?" she smiled with Busra.

"How much?"

" _Only_  ten thousand dinars."

Ana's eyes widened when she heard that number. No woman here spent that much on a wedding and certainly didn't request for silk fabric for every little thing either. Pannonia was far from China and the Silk Road so anything involving silk was bound to be very expensive.

"Excuse me; I must have words with my  _generous_  husband." She got up and hurried out of the room. Kreka snickered and Busra shook her head, continuing to sew the collar of the gown.

* * *

Arielle was spun around by Tuya and was sick of being poked and prodded by not just one of her grandmothers but two of them. She groaned and waved her arms that were swallowed by the long sleeves of the dress she was forced to wear.

"This is so stupid. I don't wanna wear a dress!" she whined and Tuya poked her with the needle. "Ow!" she shot her a look and her grandmother smiled.

"You're going to look very pretty, Arielle," Xena assured her.

"Are  _you_  going to wear a dress to the wedding?" her granddaughter asked and folded her arms which Tuya struck down while she was pinning the sleeves.

Gabrielle leaned her elbow on Xena's shoulder. "Yeah,  _grandma_ , are you?"

Xena rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Very funny." She shrugged her partner's arm off her shoulder. "Arielle, don't you want to look nice for your brother's wedding? I know he would love it if you wore a dress."

"So, you're not wearing one." The princess said.

"Your grandmother doesn't like dresses. Don't try to convince her otherwise," Tuya commented.

"I do wear them sometimes."

Tuya scoffed and hemmed the bottom of Arielle's dress. "Only when you're forced to."

This was the only time that Gabrielle actually agreed with the woman. Xena folded her arms and chortled. "That –that is  _not_  true."

"Yes it is."

"No, it isn't!"

"Yes it is…" Tuya chided.

Arielle shouted, "how come you two can't get along!" and both of her grandmothers looked at each other and lowered their eyes. "I like both of my grandmothers and you two can't stop fighting." Tuya and Xena looked at the princess and Gabrielle was behind the commander nodding her head in agreement with Arielle.

"I'm sorry," Xena says and Tuya kept hemming the princess' dress. "I will…do my best to get along with Tuya," she promised and Arielle smiled. "Right, Tuya?" she frowned at the White queen.

"Anything for Arielle," she forced a smile. "But I want to teach her how to use a sword."

Xena folded her arms. "I'm going to do that."

Gabrielle steps forward, interrupting the women. "How about I teach her instead? Tuya can continue teaching her how to use the long bow and Xena teaches her how to use weapons while riding a horse. Seem fair?" she suggests and Xena muttered under her breath and Tuya looked at the blonde with vehemence.

"Sounds great!" Arielle cheered. "Am I done now? I want to go outside."

"No! Just a few more stitches. Stay still." Tuya instructed.

"I am counting the days until this wedding is over and then we can make our way to Rome," Xena grinned deviously at the governor. "I can't wait to see the look on Odoacer's face! I will take over his army just like I did with Valentinian's. It will all work out, just you wait."

Gabrielle shook her head. "I still don't know about this but I trust you."

Xena held her hand firmly. "It will be different this time."

"Assuming that he gives you the army."

"Oh he will or else."

* * *

Farah finally was able to leave the women's quarters and she was tired of Ursula and Handan watching over her for the last couple of weeks. Less than a week away from marrying Csaba, she was anxious to get out of the room and be by herself for a little while. If Ursula and Handan weren't tending to her then it was Bakkah and Leila. Sometimes even Fairuza came by to check on her. She didn't understand why all of these women who she barely knew were so eager to help her.

She walked through the halls and some of the soldiers glanced her way and she simply smiled as she passed by. They averted their gaze when they made eye contact with her. Farah searched for the queen, which she hadn't been able to spend much time with her at all. She'd rather spend time with Anastasia than Rabia any day, but for the last two weeks, she really enjoyed having her sister around. For once in her life, her sister was not curt with her or mean. She was very…nice.

When she passed by the king's room she saw the governor coming out, holding a journal and writing as she walked. "Governor!" she calls out and Gabrielle turned at her loud voice. "Have you seen Csaba?"

"He's with Xena in the field right now. He'll be back at dusk," she says and the Czarina frowned sadly.

"Well…what about the queen?"

Gabrielle chuckled and playfully says, "which one?"

Farah raised her eyebrow, confused at the joke the blonde governor was trying to make.

She cleared her throat and tapped the pen on the journal. "Anastasia is busy right now." At that news, Farah sighed deeply. Gabrielle walked closer to her and whispered, "I'm not supposed to tell you but she is working on a surprise for you."

"For  _me_?" Farah's bright green eyes widened. "What is it?"

"I promised Ana I wouldn't tell. I've already told you about the surprise so that's all you're getting from me." She smiled and walked away, reading over her notes. She felt Farah's presence very close to her and turned around at the grinning girl. "Is there something I can help you with, Farah?"

"Well, I was wondering if the commander could fix my dress."

Gabrielle frowned. "Fix it? What's wrong with it?"

"It's just that…I think my train should be a little shorter and I'd really like more beads on the collar. Also, the sleeves are too big so I think they should be a little smaller." She said and Gabrielle kept her comments to herself. "Oh and you're in charge of the Adame, right?"

"Yes…"

"Wonderful! So I was thinking that we could build onto Csaba's bedroom. A bath would be very nice and a room for the baby too. What do you think? Could you tell the queen for me?"

Gabrielle was certainly not used to a woman giving her orders except for Xena but that was different. She thought Farah was more outspoken than any of the women here and Xena was right; this girl was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her morning spent with Ellac was very interesting considering he spent over ten thousand dinars on his son's wedding and now Farah was demanding more from him and she just knew that Ellac was a pushover and would ultimately give it to her.

"Um…" she tapped the pen on her cheek. "I'll see what she says but I can't promise anything." She pat her on the shoulder and tried to hurry out to head back to the yurt.

"Oh wait, governor!" she padded over and Gabrielle sighed. "Could you bring more sheets to Csaba's room for me?"

The blonde smirked. "I'm not a maid."

"I'm not suggesting that!" she waved her hand. "I meant could you order more fabric for the bed. I don't mind the silk sheets but I prefer cashmere wool instead."

"Cashmere." She nodded. "I'll see what I can do..."

"Oh one more thing." She grabbed the governor's arm, preventing her from leaving her side. "I know that my father doesn't want to be involved in my life and that's fine…but I want my cousins from Akitziri to come to the wedding. Could you send invitations to them? I would write them but I am such a horrible writer. You are obviously more skilled in that." She beamed.

Gabrielle quirked her mouth and gawked at the Czarina's audacity and big mouth. She couldn't understand how Csaba was able to be with her all the time, but she knew Farah didn't mean any harm and was completely clueless.

* * *

Csaba watched the recruits running around with bags of sands over their heads. He turned his head and saw the satisfactory smile on his grandmother's face and he hid his smile from her, trying to act serious in front of her. He wasn't going to make the mistake of acting up around her again. He was embarrassed enough from the last time and that stuck in his mind ever since he became the general of China.

"Could I train the recruits tomorrow? I learned some amazing strategies in China." He tells her.

The commander bobs her head slowly. "I'd love to see some new strategies. Did you learn a lot in China?"

"Yeah! I learned that your job is harder than I thought. I'm sorry for not listening to you. You were right."

"I'm always right." She nudged him playfully. "So, are you excited about becoming a father?" she never thought she'd be asking her grandson that, at least not while she was still alive.

He smiled warmly. "Yes but I'm not sure about Farah."

"She seems excited to me."

"It's not that." He folded his arms. "I don't want to hurt her feelings but she really sucks at taking care of babies. She hands Kurt back to Bakkah all the time the second he starts crying."

Xena snickered under her breath and then whacked one of the recruits on the back to quicken his pace. "She'll learn, Csaba. You've taken care of your sisters and other babies growing up. She's never had to take care of anything in her life. Just be patient with her."

Gabrielle walked through the running recruits and Xena smiled at her, waving her hand. She huffed and glared at the prince. "We need to have words about your fiancée."

"We were just talking about Farah," she nudged her grandson and his cheeks reddened. "What did the girl want now?"

"For one," she went down the list, "she wants you to make some changes to the wedding gown."

Xena scoffed. "No! I worked really hard on that dress!"

"She also wants another room built on and a bath and she wants cashmere bedding instead of silk." She slammed her journal shut and clutched it to her chest. "Csaba, you really need to talk to her. Your father spent ten thousand on the wedding decorations and fabric."

His eyes bugged out. "Ten thousand?!"

"You sure know how to pick em," Xena muttered. "Ah, come on Csaba, she's going to be your wife. Put a smile on your face!" she squished his cheeks together and he gave her a hideous snarl.

"May I be excused from training?" he said and she slapped his cheeks. "Stop it!"

"Go ahead," she pinched his cheek and he ran down the hill, cursing under his breath.

She mumbled a laugh and meanwhile Gabrielle was scowling. "What's with you? Can't take the Czarina's demands huh?"

"Xena, she is very challenging and very spoiled. Anastasia is going to have her work cut out for her. And you should really get working on that dress before Farah has a fit."

"I'm not doing any more adjustments to that dress, Gabrielle."

"She wants it so you're going to do it or she's gonna pester me!" she jabbed her finger in Xena's chest. "Do it or else."

"Or else what?" the commander crookedly smiled.

"Or…or you can sleep in the sitting room."

Xena's mouth gaped. "Come on, Gabrielle. That's a joke, right?"

"Is it?"

"That's not funny. I love you…"

"You're fixing the dress."

* * *

Four days later all of the women gathered inside of the queen's quarters, swarming over Farah, trying to fix her hair and dress. The fussiest of all the women were none other than the elder queens, of course. Anastasia sat in a chair in her black silk dress that Rabia so kindly made for her. She drank two glasses of wine and watched the women bicker and mutter under their breaths while fondling the young Czarina.

Gabrielle adjusted the headdress that she finally finished after working on it for weeks and felt like one of the women. Not that she felt left out but now, she matched everyone else and although, she did like wearing dresses, she decided not to wear one this time and didn't force Xena to wear one either. Instead, the two wore black pants and nice blouses, wearing their veiled headdresses.

Xena walked over to her daughter and gripped her shoulder. "Why aren't you helping?" she whispered.

Ana gestured to all the women. "I think the hens have it covered." She sipped her wine and the glass was snatched from her hand. "I wasn't finished with that!"

"You don't need any more wine." Xena set down the glass and walked over to Farah then waltzed around her, examining the fine dress she worked so hard on. She never wanted to make another dress like that again and by the looks of it, nobody was going to wear a dress as extravagant as Farah's.

Kreka tugged on the back of the dress to tighten it and Farah gasped for air. "I thought you fixed this, Xena?"

"I did." She walked around to see the back of the dress and the laces weren't tightening. "Oh…" she smiled sheepishly.

Farah held her hand under her breast and tried to look at herself in the mirror. "Is there a problem?"

"No, no,  _tatli_   _kiz_." Kreka reassured her. "This isn't going to close," she whispered to the very guilty commander. She kept trying to tighten the laces and crinkled her nose, pulling as tightly as she could without constricting Farah's lungs.

"Well it's not my fault that she –" Xena began and Ana shook her head. "I mean…" she scratched her neck and looked at the back of the dress and Kreka pulled too tight and the dress ripped. Farah gasped and Gabrielle covered her eyes.

"What was that?" Farah panicked. " _O doamne. Rochia mea e ruinata_!" she yelled and all the women looked at each other confusedly, all but Rabia. " _Ce voi face_!"

"I can fix this!" Kreka grabbed her needle and thread and Xena rolled her eyes. She began sewing the ripped portion of the gown rapidly.

" _Rochia_   _mea_!" Farah cried out and buried her face in her hands.

"Stop whining, girl." The khatun told her and stitched the dress. "That's the last time you make a dress, Xena."

" _Me_?! I did a good job! Don't blame me that she can't fit into it."

Farah gasped loudly.

Gabrielle leaned into Anastasia. "She's not helping at all."

"Nope." Ana reached for the glass and finished off the wine.

Arielle and Cera entered the room and saw Kreka sewing up the dress and Farah on the verge of tears. "What's the hold up here? Everyone is waiting!" Arielle ran over and greeted her mother. "You look nice." She complimented.

"You're not taking off the dress, Arielle." She said and the princess moaned.

"Well, someone made the dress too small…" muttered Kreka.

"Okay that's it; I can't take these insults anymore. I'm leaving." Xena grabbed Gabrielle's arm and pulled her away from Anastasia. "We'll be waiting outside with everyone else."

Arielle pursed her mouth. "She's in a bad mood again." She whispered to her little sister and Cera giggled softly. She eyed her mother drinking wine by herself and folded her arms. "Shouldn't you be drinking that at the party?"

Ana raised her eyebrow at her sassy daughter. "Shouldn't you be outside?"

"God! Everyone is in a bad mood!"

* * *

Csaba waited patiently outside and saw his grandmother walking over with Gabrielle. He ran to them and his grandmother kept walking, not even bothering to stop to talk. "What is taking them so long?" he asks. "Grandma, what is going on inside the Adame?"

"Nothing. They'll be out shortly." She walked over to a chair and sat down beside Ellac and scowled.

The king smirked. "The women giving you a hard time, Xena?"

"Shut up." She punched him in the arm.

"God damn!" he rubbed his arm and scooted away in his chair and leaned over to his brother. " _What_ is taking them so long?" he whispered.

Dengi shrugged. "They're probably fighting or something. You know how they are."

Ebnedzar walked by holding opium flowerets and Xena reached over and popped them into her mouth. Gabrielle's jaw dropped and all the men stared at her in awe and shock. "Xena!" she yelled. "What the hell!"

"I need something to get through tonight and the wine just isn't going to cut it." She says nonchalantly and chewed on the flowerets and spat the seeds out on the grass. Ellac cringed in slight disgust.

"Very classy, Xena." He comments and she raised her hand. "Don't hit me. My arm can only take so much."

Ebnedzar grinned and nodded. "So it's that kind of party."

"No it's not." Gabrielle chided. "I can't deal with you being extremely high and Anastasia drunk in one night."

"Ana is drunk?" Ellac asks in surprise.

"She's working on it," Xena waved her hand and finally saw the horde of women coming out of the Adame. "Oh finally, they have arrived." She stood up and pulled her partner out of the chair.

"Looks like we missed some party in the queen's quarters," Ebnedzar snickered and Ellac shot him a glare.

* * *

A half hour later, Rabia did her part and took the place of her father and placed a gold veil over her sister's head and Farah smiled at Csaba, barely able to contain her excitement. He looked at her big eyes and then turned to his mother who held a sword in her hand and as per tradition, since Farah wanted to combine everyone's cultures together; Anastasia placed a sword over her son's head and Farah's. Ellac stepped forward and put a bracelet on Farah's wrist and the other on Csaba's.

Once the bracelets were put on the respected wrists, Ana removed the sword from the tops of their heads and smiled at both of them. Farah lifted the heavy veil over her head and received a kiss to her cheeks by the queen and then she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around Csaba, firmly planting her lips on his.

Gabrielle's eyes widened and she nudged Xena. "She's really going for it, isn't she." She says with a smirk and everyone cheered and lifted their cups of wine.

Everyone parted and talked with each other while some groups of people danced together. Women dancing with women, men with men, women with men and of course the children had a circle of their own. Farah pulled Csaba to the large fire and urged him to dance with her. She hooked the dress to her wrist and grabbed a woman's hand and followed the steps to the dance around the fire.

Anastasia plopped down on the chair and sank lowly. She reached over to a tray that held fine wine and downed an entire glass. Gabrielle leaned over and frowned. "Are you not happy?"

"I am happy, Gabrielle." she tapped the glass with her fingers anxiously. She glanced over at her mother who was a lot calmer than she was an hour ago. "What's up with you?"

"She took opiates," Gabrielle told the queen with disdain in her tone.

Ana puckered her lips. "Ebnedzar?" she guessed and the governor nods. "Where is he?"

"You can't be serious."

Xena smiled and gripped the governor's hand. "It's a party, Gabrielle. Don't be so uptight."

"Uptight? I'm not uptight, you're just high."

"What's your point?"

"Well…I…I…" she groaned. "I don't have a point. I'll let it slide just this once."

* * *

Kutilzis rode into Pannonia against his brother's wishes. After he was berated by his brother for days he took off. He knew his eldest brother was going to Banat, if he wasn't there already, to kill the Czar and his mother was on her way to Kazakhstan to pillage the Nezak Huns.

He sat on his horse on the hill and looked at the hundreds of Huns celebrating some kind of ceremony together. His eyes immediately spotted the queen that held him hostage. He recognized all of the other queens and princesses in the field, dancing together and talking too. He couldn't recall anything like this back home in his tribe within Siberia.

Smiling softly, he looked at the children laughing and playing together. He wondered if he did the right thing by coming here. Realizing that he didn't want to be with his family anymore, he felt bad for the way his mother was treating these people. He was taught as a child that Huns were barbarians and savages yet he thought otherwise. He knew that if he was going to do this, his mother was never going to forgive him and he'd probably die.

Taking in a deep breath, he trotted down the hill and immediately many of the Huns turned his way. He was an intruder, he understood that. He saw a woman he was very familiar with. He hopped off the horse and walked over to her.

"Busra…?" he spoke softly and she turned.

"Kutilzis?" she smiled, remembering taking care of him as a child. "What are you doing here? Is your mother here? Where is she?"

He bowed his head. "She's not here. Excuse me; I have to go talk to someone."

Trailing over to the queen, Xena stood up and kicked her daughter's boot, alarming her. Anastasia whipped her head around and grimaced at the Sabir teenager. He held onto the horse reins and felt like he was going to be ripped to shreds.

"Hun Queen," he addressed her. "I came alone." He said and then the king and princes surrounded him. "I…I have some news about my mother. I came to warn you. Please, don't hurt me."

Gabrielle raised her eyebrow. "Should we trust him?" she whispered to the commander.

Xena marched over to the teen and towered over him. "You are not welcome here, boy."

"I know that but please, this is really important. I promise I came alone. Please!"

"Mother, let him pass," Ana said.

"Are you kidding me?"

Anastasia shoved the wine glass into her husband's chest and pushed her mother aside. Breathing deeply, Kutilzis stared directly into her piercing blue eyes. "You're interrupting my son's wedding. This better be important or I will tie you up again. Don't want that, do you?"

"It's very important."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Gabrielle pushed the Sabir boy into a secluded room that held Pascal as prisoner. Kutilzis fumbled to his knees and stared at the Banat commander confined to the bed post. He got to his feet and then Xena grabbed his arm and shoved him into a nearby wall.

"You will be in the same exact position if you are lying to us." She hissed.

Gabrielle looked into the boy's dark fearful eyes. "Does your mother know you're here?"

"No! For the last time!" he yelled and Xena let go of him and he stared at the so called prisoner. "Is he a Szekely?" he asks and the commander nodded. "My brother is going to Banat. He's going to kill the Czar."

Pascal raised his eyebrow and Gabrielle pulled Kutilzis out of the room before the lament prisoner began boasting and talking about how wonderful the Sabirs are and how horrible and senile Czar Danut is. The three walked upstairs to the second floor of the Adame and Kutilzis curiously gazed out the windows at the celebration below. He was jerked forward by a push to his backside from the commander.

He looked around at the large room that they all entered and then Anastasia covered his eyes with a cloth and tied him to a chair in her bedroom. Gabrielle poked her head out into the hall to make sure that nobody was coming. She locked the door and Kutilzis breathed heavily, suddenly having flashbacks of the torture he endured from the Hun queen and the elder queen he recalled back in Balaam.

The effects of the opiates and wine seemed to wear off fairly quickly for Xena and Anastasia, which Gabrielle was grateful for, but nobody expected a Sabir for a guest tonight. Everyone outside was oblivious to what was happening in the Adame aside from Ellac, his brothers and Busra.

"I…I thought you weren't going to tie me up?" he plead.

"I lied." Ana bent down, coming extremely close to the teen's face. "I won't hit you if you tell me the truth. Where is your mother and why are you here? Should I expect an ambush?"

He shook his head. "I came alone. My mother is going to Kazakhstan to attack the Nezaks. My brother, Balmaq, is on his way to Banat to kill the Czar."

"Did anyone follow you?"

"No and my brother wouldn't care if I was missing anyway. He hates me and I don't think my mother likes me either."

Gabrielle frowned sadly and Ana looked up at both her mother and the governor. Anastasia took off the blindfold and the boy blinked his big chocolate brown eyes. She saw the innocence in his eyes that his horrible mother did not have. It was obvious that she was using him in her ploys to attack all of the tribes. Being a mother herself, she could never ask any of her children to be a spy for an enemy, especially knowing that they might be killed for it. Boareks didn't care about any of her sons. Busra was right, once again.

"If what…you said is true then you know I am going to have to find your mother," she explained.

"I know."

"And you know what I must do…"

Kutilzis curled his lips and stared at the commander and solemn governor. "My mother…is not a good person. I know that. She and my father raided China many times together. When my father died she wanted to expand his empire so she allied with Justinian." He felt a lump in his throat. "I don't care what happens to her." His eyes narrowed when his tone darkened.

"You…can stay here in Pannonia if you'd like."

Gabrielle corrects the queen with the law, "actually, he has to stay with us since he is technically our enemy and gave us vital information. He's…our hostage," she explained.

"No," Ana raised her hand. "I meant he can stay here permanently if he wants to. We have plenty of space in Pannonia. My husband's nephew could share his yurt with you."

He looks at the women in shock and a bit teary eyed. "You would allow your enemy's son to live here with your people?"

"You are a child. You are not my enemy. Your mother is, unfortunately." Ana cupped his cheek. "But you will be under supervision until your mother is found. It is our protocol. We are fair with our prisoners," she shot her mother a glare.

Xena frowns at her daughter. "I didn't say anything."

"Let's keep it that way." The queen untied the boy from the chair and aided him to his feet. "Ernak will be in charge of supervising you. I will walk you to your room where you will stay." She grabbed his arm and her mother grabbed his other free arm.

Gabrielle walked ahead of them as they were escorting the Sabir down the hallway. "What about Czar Danut? Do you want us to go to Banat and stop the assassination?"

A part of Anastasia wanted to say no because of how he treated his daughters, and god knowing, she knew that her mother had the same thoughts. "No. I will send Dengi and Ellac right now. I have a bigger task for you and mother to tackle."

* * *

Gabrielle knew that Xena was unlikely to return to the celebration outside and so they decided to retire to their yurt. But, the partying continued on outside and well into the night as well. Gabrielle continuously poked her head outside the yurt flap, observing everyone drinking their fill of wine and even the children were still awake, playing games around the fire together.

She smiled at Csaba and Farah, still awake and just finished their lap in the dance circle around the fire. Dengi and Ellac left as soon as Ana told them what the Sabir boy relayed. Nobody suspected a thing. Slowly, she saw all of the Hun princes discreetly leave the party and tend to their duties. Ernak was already in the Adame, watching over Kutilzis and Ebnedzar began scouting the perimeter with his eldest son, Oran.

Xena relaxed on the floor pillows and saw the eagerness in her consort's eyes. "If I'm keeping you from having fun, you are more than welcome to leave."

The blonde left the entrance and smiled at the commander. "If staying here keeps you away from opiates then I'll gladly stay with you." She teases and lay down beside her. "Do you really believe everything that Kutilzis said?"

"Hard to say." She sighs and reaches for an unopened bottle of wine. "He said he didn't care what happened to his mother. I could never imagine Csaba saying that about Ana. He must really hate his mother."

Gabrielle nods and reaches for a glass of wine that she unable to have outside during the wedding festivities outside. "What do you think changed his mind? He could be put to death for this and so can Busra. Boareks has no idea that they are here."

"She's smart. She'll figure it out eventually." Xena took a swig of the red wine. "We'll need to warn Bey Malka about the attack."

"We aren't going to find her and stop her first?"

"We'll never make it in time. She's probably half way to Kazakhstan already. Maybe we should use our alliance with China. If Csaba could write a letter to the Emperor, we could save the Nezaks from being obliterated."

"A message by falcon," the governor deduced. "Tomorrow we will ask Csaba."

"Tomorrow." Xena smiled and clanged her glass against Gabrielle's. "Have I told you how much I appreciate you lately?"

Gabrielle slyly scooted next to her partner. "Why no, you haven't. Please elaborate."

"You keep this empire running. I don't know what anyone would do without you. I don't know what I would do without you. Although you could be a little harder on Farah…" she snickered, "cashmere sheets," she mutters.

"Come on!" she slapped the brunette's chest, causing the wine spill on the both of them. "That's just great. Now my clothes are soaked."

"It's your doing." Xena wiped her black blouse with her palm and handed the blonde a cloth for her blouse. She chuckled at her demise and Gabrielle shot her a mean glare. "Farah has to be the most gorgeous girl I've seen in a very long time. I can see why Csaba is smitten with her but…she is nothing special. She's extremely spoiled and doesn't like to listen to authoritative figures."

Gabrielle finished wiping the wine stain off her blouse and reclined on the pillows. "Are you saying your grandson's wife is dumb?" she smirked.

"No, I'm just saying she's got nothing to offer! She's very beautiful –I mean, she could stop a herd of sheep if she walked by, but that's all she has: her beauty."

"People used to say the same thing about Anastasia and now look at her."

"Anastasia never looked like  _that_. My daughter is beautiful but Farah…" she turned and saw the grin on her blonde's face. "Stop looking at me like that."

"You think Farah is not smart enough for Csaba. You think she's not good enough for him, don't you?"

"I never said that."

"But you were thinking it. No woman is good enough for your grandson."

"Stop twisting my words, Gabrielle. If Csaba loves her that's all that matters. Nothing I say will change that."

"Yeah right."

* * *

The next morning, Anastasia called a meeting with all the present queens. It wasn't often that she was able to get everyone in a room together and she hoped that everyone would behave, especially Tuya and Kreka. She sat at the head of the table inside Ellac's quarters and Kreka sat at the other end while the White Hun queens sat on either side of the table, facing one another.

Tuya drummed her fingers on the table, already annoying the khatun at the opposite end of the table. "What is the meaning of this meeting so early in the morning, Anastasia?"

Ana took in a deep breath and stared at all of her respected counterparts. "It is very important that we work together to defeat the Sabir army. Last night, Boareks' son, Kutilzis came to me. He deserted his mother and brothers. He no longer wants to be a part of his family. I am keeping him as my prisoner."

Fairuza lifted her eyebrow and remembered the boy all too well. "Are we going to be attacked?"

"Highly unlikely. He told me his mother is on her way to attack the Nezak Huns."

Kreka threw her hands in the air. "Why was I not notified of this last night? I am the queen!"

Ana frowned. "No, I am the queen."

"I am the queen mother. Do not forget your place, child." She narrows her almond shaped eyes and Anastasia was tempted to continue the staring contest but refuted.

Fairuza brought the two queens back on track. "If Boareks is going to Kazakhstan, what are we going to do? She's very good at escaping. Not even Xena can catch her."

"We should send Navaz's men to attack her." Tuya suggested.

Ana slammed her fist on the table to quiet the queens. "Boareks has teamed up with the Gokturks. She is working with Queen Yeter and Khan Bamin. Navaz needs to protect Balaam. I put my mother and Gabrielle in charge of the Nezak invasion. I trust they have a plan to stop this. Until then, we need to gather every single soldier from all the tribes and stop the Sabir army. She is going to come to Pannonia and attack us."

Kreka scoffed and Ana widened her eyes. "Justinian is her buddy. He will attack us first. We should attack Constantinople first."

Tuya nodded. "Agreed."

Fairuza nods her head as well and laced her fingers on the table. "I also agree."

"Looks like you are outvoted, Anastasia," the khatun sneered.

"We should focus on getting rid of Queen Yeter and her husband first before we attack Justinian. I don't have time to deal with the Byzantines." Anastasia says and the three queens frowned. "What? My mother can't be in three places at once. I want Boareks stopped. Justinian can be dealt with later."

"I thought she was going to Rome to convince Odoacer to submit to her and give her the army." Kreka folded her arms and leaned back in the tall chair.

Fairuza gasped. "You signed that awful decree?" she grimaced at Anastasia. "We don't need Romans to help us. We have plenty of soldiers to kill Boareks."

"My mother couldn't kill her. What makes you think our men can?"

Tuya, for once agreed with her former daughter in law. "She's right. We may need the Romans but for now, we should send people to Constantinople to spy on Justinian. What do we know about the Gokturk queen and khan?"

"I…don't know anything about them. I didn't even know Yeter and Bamin existed."

Fairuza rubbed her chin. "Do they have any children? Should we expect more wandering boys to come through Pannonia and ambush us?"

"I don't know if they have children." Ana looked over at the scowling khatun across the table. "Do you know anything about the Gokturks?"

Kreka shrugs one shoulder. "Attila warred with them once. They retreated to the mountains and were never seen again. Xena was not there during the attack."

"Where was she?" Fairuza asks.

"I don't remember. Forgive me, it was a long time ago," she snidely adds. "Who cares if they have children or not. Send spies to Constantinople and let Xena and Gabrielle handle the Nezak invasion. We will go from there once we have word from Bey Malka."

Anastasia sighed. "Fine." She stood up and the others followed. "We will have weekly meeting about this together."

* * *

Farah sat in front of the vanity, oiling her skin and in walked the commander and governor. She spun around in the chair and smiled at the two. Csaba was passed out in the bed with his mouth ajar and one of his legs hanging out of the sheets, laying on his stomach and an arm sprawled out on Farah's side of the bed.

Xena cringed at the strong scent in the room and Gabrielle coughed lightly. They both stepped inside and Xena covered her mouth. "What is that smell?"

"Oil," Farah grabbed the bottle of rose oil and the two women took a step back, almost heading out the door. "I'm going to the bathhouse in a little bit. I need to wash my hair."

"Didn't you…wash your hair yesterday?" Gabrielle asked and pinched her nose together from the strong flowery scent. "Doesn't that make you sick?"

Farah frowned confusedly. "No…" she set the bottle down and let her hair down then walked over. "What can I do for you?"

Xena eyed her slumbering grandson and was tempted to slap him with one of the larger pillows. Now that she was more familiar with the smell, she uncovered her mouth but suddenly had a thundering headache. "I need Csaba to write a letter to the Emperor of China."

"Oh…" the Czarina eyed her newlywed husband. "He doesn't know how to write in Chinese." She said and Gabrielle looked up at the furious commander. "I know how to write in Chinese. I can write in two dialects."

Gabrielle raised her eyebrows and Xena folds her arms. "Really…"

Farah bobs her head excitedly. "Yes! The empress taught me. I am a very fast learner. I know Greek, Latin, Syriac, my own language of course, some Persian too. I've even picked up on your language too."

"She knows languages, Xena," she whispers.

"Perhaps you are useful," the commander smiled and grabbed the girl's hand. "What other skills do you have?"

Farah looked up at the ceiling trying to come up with something. "I can translate. I'm a very good translator. I helped Csaba translate all of the Emperor's documents while we were in China." She smiled at the bemused women in front of her, especially the commander. "Also, I am an excellent mathematician." She held up her finger, "oh and I can write political treaties too!"

Gabrielle's eyes widened and thought her job was just about to get easier. Xena seemed shocked to and she grabbed the girl's arm. "I take back everything I said about you. I need you," Xena said and Farah gasped, looking back at Csaba knocked out on the bed.

"But my hair!" she cried out.

"Please. You look gorgeous." Xena grabbed a robe and threw it in Farah's face as she was pulling her out the door. "Why didn't you tell anybody that you know how to speak, read and write in several languages?"

Farah slipped the robe on and twisted her long straight hair in front of her and followed the hasty commander and governor. "Nobody asked." She struggled to keep up and rest her hand on her small bump. "Could you slow down please?" she asked.

Gabrielle turned around and hooked arms with her and Xena slowed her pace. "Sorry. I guess we forgot. Did you eat yet?"

"No not yet. I am starving though. Where are you two taking me anyway?"

"We're taking you to see Anastasia. You might be able to help us stop a war with the Sabirs." Xena explains.

"I'm going to see the queen?" Farah gasped and ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it out. "You should have let me change my dress! I'm in my nightgown!"

Gabrielle chuckled and held the girl close. "I don't think Anastasia is going to care about what you're wearing."

"You could be covered in fish guts and you'd still be the most gorgeous woman here," the commander muttered beneath her breath.

* * *

Ellac and Dengi rode into the gates of Banat and there was little to no guards posted outside of the grandeur palace. Of course, given that Boareks and the Byzantines practically wrecked the entire district, the two thought there would be nobody here. When they rode up to the palace wall they were bombarded by several men.

Since Farah and Rabia were no longer allowed in Banat, Ellac knew that this also meant Huns were not allowed either. Since his last meeting with the Czar, he realized he was not welcome here just as much as the Czarinas weren't.

"We need to get inside. There's going to be an assassination on the Czar." He told the guards.

"Impossible! Nobody has come here and nobody is allowed, especially you Huns!" the Banat man spat at their boots.

Dengi rolled his eyes and his patience was wearing thin. "Look, we need to get inside. We are aware that your Czar doesn't like us but we have orders."

"Orders? Orders from whom?"

"Orders from my wife," the king told him. "This is not a personal mission. We are here to protect an ally."

The soldiers laughed at the Hun king and Dengi was ready to strike them all down but was held back by his elder brother. "What kind of a king takes orders from his  _wife_?" the guard protests and laughs more until his belly ached.

Ellac began arguing with the Banat soldier and Dengi looked around to see if he saw anything suspicious. Trotting round the palace walls, he was watched intensely by the other guards posted. Choosing to ignore them he lifted his chin and saw a man, which appeared to the Czar, standing on a window ledge. Taking a close look, he saw a noose around Czar Danut's neck.

"No!" he shouted. Ellac turned at the urgency in his brother's voice. The Czar was pushed off the ledge and hung in front of his people. Citizens turned and women screamed at the sight of their leader, choking to the death and kicking his legs furiously as the noose tightened about his throat.

"Dammit to hell!" Ellac slapped his thigh and Dengi turned away, no longer able to stomach the hanged Czar over the palace walls. The guards all had shocked looks upon their faces and some ran through the gates to retrieve their leader.

"You should have let us in," he chastised the guard who was giving him a hard time. "Dengi, go around the wall and search for Boareks' son."

"Okay brother." the prince galloped around the wall and Banat soldiers followed him in search of Balmaq. It seems that Kutilzis was telling the truth which was a relief to both Dengi and his king brother.

Ellac wagged his head several times and eyed all of the women behind him. Some of the children were sobbing in their mothers dresses, while all of the men were enraged and horrified by the Czar's sudden death.

"Szekely people!" he raises his hand to grab their attention. He knew none of them were going to like what he has to say. "Your ruler is dead! The kingdom of Banat is in ruins now!" he shouts and whispers lingered all around. He suspected a riot soon if Dengi didn't find Balmaq. "You have no choice but to surrender unto the Hun Empire. Czarina Farah has married my son and is now a part of my family. We are not your enemy! Queen Boareks is! And we will help you all defeat her if you surrender to us! You can save your kingdom if you are willing to put your pride aside."

"Ellac!" Dengi pulled up with Balmaq dragging behind him on the ground. He gripped the rope tightly and came to a staggering halt. Ellac trotted over to the Sabir man, trying to save himself from choking to death. "Look what goatfuck I found."

The king smiled and hopped off his horse and towered over the Sabir. Balmaq lifted his dark eyes and snarled at the Hun king. "So, you are one of Boareks' sons," he folded his arms.

"You will never defeat my mother, Hun. She is far more intelligent than you."

"I pity you, Sabir."

Balmaq cast a malicious grin. "And why's that?"

"I'm not going to be in charge of you. I'm handing you over to the women in my tribe."

"You let your women roam free and do what they please, don't you Hun king?"

"That's right," Ellac winked. "Dengi, tie him to your horse. We will share mine on the way back to Pannonia." He ordered and smacked the back of his horse then turned to the people of Banat. "This is your enemy! I will make sure your Czar's death will be avenged."

* * *

Farah laid her eyes upon the tray of assorted foods that Anastasia brought her. A big smile formed on her face and she didn't know what to reach for first. She looked up at the anxious queen and the frowning commander beside her and the governor was simply smiling off to the side, always by the commander of course.

"You can have whatever you want," Ana urged the girl to eat the food. Farah widened her eyes and studied the food, unsure of what to take at first grabs. "If you don't like the food I can send for something else."

"No, no. This is wonderful and very nice of you, your majesty. Thank you." She finally reached for a ripened peach and split it open with her hands and stuffed one half of it into her mouth.

Xena tapped her foot impatiently and looked at the beaming smile on her daughter's face. "I know you are enjoying pampering the girl, Ana, but we brought her here for another reason."

The queen frowned at her mother. "I just want to make sure that she is taken care of."

"I'm aware. Gabrielle," she turned.

The governor stepped forward. "Anastasia, we brought Farah to you because she speaks, reads and writes in several languages; Syriac, Greek, Latin, Persian and Chinese. She also knows how to write treaties and alliances."

Farah wiped her mouth with the backside of her hand and interrupted, "I am good at math too."

"Right," Gabrielle smiled. "She can be very useful to us. We need someone to tell the Emperor about Boareks. We can send a message by falcon if Farah writes the letter. If we are going to defeat Boareks then we need to act quickly. Kutilzis said that she is riding with the Gokturks to Kazakhstan right now."

"Gokturks?" Farah wiped her hands on a rag and looked up at the shocked queen. "I know some of their language too."

Ana folded her arms and Xena smirked, hearing so much from this girl that came to a surprise to everyone. All this time Farah put on a façade that she knew nothing except for exuding her beauty and spoiled nature. "How do you know all of these languages,  _tatli_   _kiz_?"

"Well, my father kept me in the palace all my life. He thought that I should know all of the languages around the world. I may not know how to wield a sword but the pen can be more useful!" Farah nodded her head.

Gabrielle agreed. "See? Pen is mightier than the sword sometimes," she took a jab at her partner.

"I'm afraid that my father's tutors never taught me your language but I am learning." Farah tells the women. " _Evin cok güzel kralicem_." She blurted out and Ana's jaw dropped.

"She is impressive," Xena remarked.

Ana knelt down in front of the Czarina and narrowed her eyes. "Say something in Syriac."

" _Al-sheab damawiun fi suria."_

"Greek."

" _I Athina einai I kardia tis Elladas."_

Gabrielle elbowed Xena and both shared a smug look on their faces while Anastasia continued to interrogate the girl.

"Gokturk?" Ana raised her eyebrow.

Farah scrunched her face up, trying to remember that language which was taught to her so long ago. " _Nrank…anoghok yen_ ," she smiled, satisfied that she recalled the words that escaped her mind after years of tutoring.

"Extraordinary," Ana stood and tapped her cheek. She waved her hand at the guard by the door. "Bring in the Sabir boy." She ordered and then grabbed a parchment and pen. "Gabrielle will instruct you on what to write in Chinese. You will learn the language of the Sabirs and we will send a message to Boareks."

Farah grabbed the parchment and licked her fruit stained fingers. "This is so exciting!" she cheered and Ana handed her the pen. Gabrielle pulled up a chair and sat beside her and began telling her how to address the Emperor of China.

Xena pulled her daughter aside and glared at the doors, waiting eagerly for Kutilzis to be brought in by Ernak at any moment. "Why do you want to send a letter to Boareks? We don't want her to know that her son is here. Busra is here too. If she finds out –"

"Mother, I know what I am doing. I just want to deter her. If she thinks the message is from her other son then it will distract her. I want her to think that she is winning."

Xena now understood her daughter's plan. "You are devious."

"I learn from the best."

Ernak brought in Kutilzis and Anastasia walked over to the frightened boy and grabbed his arm and pushed him into a chair beside Farah. He held his breath the moment Farah laid eyes on him. He was instantly captivated by her beauty but her frown was not the least bit distracting to her features. "Czarina…" he says lowly.

Before Farah could get in a word in, Ana raised her voice, "you will work with Farah. Teach her everything about your language. You are going to write a letter to your mother and convince her that your brother's defenses are winning in the mountains. Are you going to cooperate or gaze at her all day, boy?"

He turned his gaze to the infuriated Hun woman. "Yes, your majesty. I will do as you say."

Xena couldn't help but chuckle at the poor boy. "He looked like he was going to piss himself." She whispered to her daughter. "I'm really proud of you. I don't think I've said that to you lately." She touched her daughter's long raven hair.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me." Her cheeks radiated with warmth. "Now if only the gods could grant me the will to put up with Rabia then I will be a lot calmer."

"I don't think you're going to be calm until after Farah has the baby."

Ana cupped her own face and breathed in heavily. "I don't want to think about that…that sereta!" she said with worry. "They're going to kill me –both of them –with their extravagant requests and silks and cashmere and bathhouses and –"

"Ana!" Xena stopped her daughter from panicking further. "You can always say no."

"Say no?" the queen looked back at Farah who was talking with Gabrielle and Kutilzis simultaneously. "She's carrying my son's child. How can I say no to her?"

Xena rolled her eyes. "You're obsessed with her."

"Well, it's not like you weren't like that with me." Ana shrugged her shoulder. "Now I know why you were so overprotective over me. I get it."

"Oh really? You don't think I am crazy?"

"Mother," she groaned. "It's my son's baby and he is married now so I will give them space…" she folded her arms, staring over at Farah. She felt her mother's eyes boring into her and refused to give her the satisfaction she wanted. "Unless they need me."

"Mhm." Xena rocked back and forth on her heels.

"They will need me…right?"

"Oh I'm  _sure_  Farah will wake you up several times for your help,  _tatli_   _kiz_." She paddled her daughter on the back teasingly.

* * *

Early in the morning Xena was overseeing the training of the recruits again but she made sure that she was to prepare them to go into the field in the next few months. Gabrielle offered to help her train the boys since her services weren't needed by Anastasia. She could think of a million things to do this early in the morning and one of them was sleep.

She did enjoy her sleep and hated it when Xena woke her up from time to time and although, Ana wasn't one to sleep in either unless she wanted to and had nothing else to do. Luckily, Gabrielle was able to sleep for an extra hour because Anastasia started her mornings properly and preferably after the sun came up. Xena on the other hand was already on the field before sunrise giving all of these young men a hard time.

Gabrielle yawned dramatically and caught eye of Xena giving her a quick stare then went back to watching the boy soldiers. She folded her arms and tried to stay awake and it was a bit easier now that the sun had risen but a half hour ago. She could finally see the field and looked at the boys' faces and actually felt sorry for them. They were covered in mud, sweat and some even had blood on their faces from falling onto the ground several times in their heavy armor whilst carrying sacks of sand.

"Are you going to give them a break? Some of them look like they're about to keel over." She mentioned.

Xena remained focused and her eyes darted from left to right, eyeing all of the complacent boys. She grabbed the staff and whacked one boy in the back and he fell to his knees. "They will get a break when I say so. We've only been training for two hours."

"Two hours?!" Gabrielle complained. "That's it? By god I'm going to be here forever." She sighed and the staff was shoved in her chest. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Hit them when they drop the bags. It's fun to watch," the commander winked.

"I'd rather train the younglings than these boys." She pushed the staff back at her brunette partner. "This is your job, not mine. My hands are a staff free zone."

"You're no fun." Xena scoffed and smacked a boy in the calves for slowing down. "Nobody said you could slow down, boy!" she yelled and Gabrielle pinched the bridge of her nose and bowed her head.

Anastasia walked through the field and one of the recruits caught sight of her. "Queen approaching!" he shouted and everyone stopped and dropped the sacks of sand and Xena threw her hands in the air, groaning loudly. Ana smiled at the boys and walked through the parted path they made for her.

"Keep training," she encouraged the boys and waved her hand. She head up the hill and greeted Gabrielle with a curt nod and then stood in front of her annoyed mother.

"Anastasia, you can't just walk over here. They are obligated to stop training when you arrive," Xena folded her arms.

"Sorry, but I came here to see Gabrielle." she whipped out a stack of papers and placed it in the governor's arms. "I need you to write up a declaration of a kingdom take over. Csaba will be in charge of Banat from now on. I want all of Farah's rights to be split between her and Csaba. She will be queen of Banat now and he will be king and remain prince of our empire."

"Wow okay," Gabrielle held the heavy stack of papers and looked over at Xena who also seemed just as shocked as she was.

"A wife, a baby, general of China and now king of Banat. What a lucky year Csaba is having." Xena smiled curtly and began pushing her daughter away. "Now, let me get back to training. You aren't supposed to be here."

Ana smirked. "I can go wherever I want. I own this land."

"This is  _my_  field and I am ordering you to leave  _please_ ," she says kindly.

Kreka approached the field and all of the boys dropped their sacks of sand again. "Khatun approaching!" one of the boys shouted and she waved her hand, weaving in between the sweaty soldiers.

Xena growled and broke the staff with her knee. "New rule! No more queens allowed on the field! Write it down, Gabrielle." she pointed to the papers. "Make it happen."

"I'll put on the list of requests." Gabrielle chuckled and received a menacing glare. "I'll get to work…see you later…" she hurried down the hill with the papers laden in her arms.

"Xena," Kreka greets in a cold tone. "Ellac and Dengi have returned from Banat and captured Boareks' eldest son. He killed the Czar."

Xena's eyes lit up with excitement and she whistled at her recruits. "Training over!" she grabbed her sword lying on a boulder and marched down the hill.

* * *

Balmaq was thrown to the ground and Dengi ripped the cloth bag off his head. He lifted his eyes, adjusting to the light within the dark room he was in. His eyes darted from side to side. He was surrounded by all of the Hun queens, the infamous commander and the blonde petite governor who seemed to be the odd one out as she was the shortest among the women, yet shared the same expression as these Hun women.

Xena stood in the center of the semi circle and smiled down at the confused Sabir. "Welcome to Pannonia."

" _Sizni cho'chqa go'shti_!" he spat at her boots.

"What did he say, Fairuza?"

The redheaded queen hesitated briefly. "He said you're a pig…"

Xena titled her head subtly. "I've been called worse." She drew her sword and the other queens drew theirs from the sheaths, following her command. "So, who wants to go first?" she looked around at the enraged queens. "Time's a wasting, ladies. I don't normally allow the first –"

Kreka kicked the Sabir prince down and Xena blinked. She stomped her boot on his chest and he moaned lightly. She held the sword to his throat and he began breathing deeply out of his nose, glaring up at the khatun.

"Okay no problem. Let the dragon lady have the first blow," Xena stepped back and the other queens surrounded the now frightened Sabir prince.

Kreka ripped open his blouse and cut into his chest. "You kidnapped me!" she yelled and he bit his bottom lip, embracing the stinging pain. "You stripped me of my clothes! You almost raped me!" she cut deeper into his flesh and he finally cried out.

Gabrielle cringed and held onto the commander's arm. "You're just going to let them have at it?"

"That's right," Xena smiled. She backed away to the door of the armory. "You ladies have fun. Gabrielle and I will be outside." She said but was ignored and the queens huddled around the Sabir and took turns slicing through his clothes like animals.

They walked outside the room and Xena locked the door. Gabrielle heard the man screaming in dire agony and covered her ears. "I can't believe you handed over a prisoner just like that. You never do that."

Xena listened to the sweet sounds of torture from behind the door. "I'll give them a free pass. Just this once." She tossed the keys to the guard. "Don't unlock the door until Anastasia says so." She says and he bowed his head. "So, you have a lot of paperwork to do. Need help?" she smiled at the governor.

* * *

Later within the women's quarters the two convened and Gabrielle worked on the declaration that Ana gave her. So far, she wrote barely two pages and had four more to go. She hadn't written a document like this in so long that she forgot how extensive this process was. While she was busy wracking her brain, Xena was scoring an apple with a knife and leisurely enjoying the downtime that was hard to come by.

She found it difficult to focus with all of the children in the room talking and playing. Arielle was talking to her sister and Cera, still having trouble speaking, often used her hands to speak. She wondered when that girl would ever talk again due to her throat injury. Handan's horrible naughty boys were wrestling on the floor and Soran was off in a corner by himself, writing and keeping to himself.

Gabrielle's eye twitched and heard several voices from all corners of the room. And to make things worse, she heard Leila and Dengizich arguing outside of the quarters. They did nothing to hide their marital problems and although everyone was preoccupied with something else, Gabrielle's concentration was lacking at the moment –so much so that she broke the pen in her hand and ink splattered all over her pants.

Xena stopped chewing the apple slice and stared at the flustered governor. "Are you alright?"

"No! I am not alright! It's too loud in here! I can't concentrate!" she griped and tried cleaning her pants with her hands but only spread the ink further and now her hands were covered in ink. "God dammit!" she cursed and all the children looked her way.

Arielle walked over with her sister in hand. "Are you okay, Gabby?"

She groaned and looked up at the sweet faces above her and smiled weakly. "Yes I'm okay. I'm just a bit…annoyed that's all."

"Maybe you can take a break, Gabby," Arielle pat her on the shoulder.

Xena chortled. "Yeah  _Gabby_ , take a break." She teases and the governor's lip quivered. "Anastasia is busy right now anyway. I'm sure she won't mind if you get that to her tomorrow." She sliced the apple and Cera ran over and stole it out of her hand and nibbled on it. Xena raised her eyebrow and the auburn haired princess smiled with the big apple slice poking out on both sides of her cheeks.

Arielle sat down beside Gabrielle and looked at all of the papers sprawled on the ground. "What are you working on?" she picked up a paper and Gabrielle snatched it from her.

"Don't touch this. It's very important. It's for your brother."

"Csaba! Ah, I miss hanging out with him." The princess sighed lightly. "He's always with Farah."

Xena handed off another slice to Cera and smiled warmly. "He's got a baby on the way, Arielle. He's going to be very busy from now on."

Arielle leaned back on the pillows. "Yeah, I know. Babies are a lot of work." She grinned. "Did you see Farah's tummy? It's a lot bigger now so that means the baby will come soon, right?"

Gabrielle and Xena looked at one another and shook their heads in unison. "Not until winter."

"Winter?!" the princess threw her hands in the air. "That's so far away! Babies take so long."

"You must be patient, Arielle." Gabrielle pat the girl's head.

"I am patient! I'm just excited."

"You weren't very excited when you found out about your sister or your brother," Gabrielle quickly reminded her.

Cera frowned at her elder sibling and Arielle smiled sheepishly and playfully punched the governor in the shoulder. "Oh Gabby, you're so funny," she laughed nervously. "I was just a kid back then." She says confidently and Xena choked and spat out some of the apple slice. "Grandma, you should be more careful."

"I'll remember that for next time…" she set the knife down and finished chewing the left over fruit. Cera eyed the knife and her grandmother quickly grabbed it. "No touching any weapons."

Dengi ran into the room uninvited and Xena turned around, scowling at him. "Xena, Zolten is here. Balaam is under attack by the Sabir army."

Her scowl disappeared and she leapt to her feet as did Gabrielle. Arielle gasped and ran after the two women. "Balaam is being attacked?!" she grabbed the governor's arm and tears formed in her eyes. "What about my father? What happened to him? Is he okay?" she eyed Dengi and he refused to answer. "Please! I want to know!"

Gabrielle spun around and knelt down in front of her. "Don't worry I'm sure he's fine. Stay here with your sister and don't leave until we come back for you." She kissed her on the forehead and followed Xena.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 – _Slums_

Zolten waited outside and saw the commander and governor approaching him so he fixed his gauntlets quickly and took off his helmet out of respect. They halted in front of him and he bowed his head, afraid to speak the news that he carried all the way from Balaam. Gabrielle's heart raced and she rubbed her neck anxiously.

He lifted his head slowly and looked into Xena's wily eyes. "The Sabir army attacked us in the Gokturk Mountains. Navaz was supposed to send word to Fairuza and Tuya but our messenger was shot by what we believe to be Boareks' son." He explained and feared the worst especially since Xena's eyes grew twice their size. "We tried our best to fend them off but…they destroyed the entire kingdom in less than four days."

Gabrielle inhaled sharply and shook her head. "What about Navaz?"

The general wiped his sweaty forehead and held the helmet beneath his arm. "He could no longer continue to lead the army after the second day. The Adame was blown up by their machines. I believe they call them cannons. He was inside when it happened."

Xena's tongue swarmed the inside of her cheek and she folded her arms, upset to hear that. "Is he still alive?"

"Yes, barely. He was relocated to Sevan but I don't think he will be safe there for long. The Sabir army has taken over Balaam and they tore down our flag and put theirs in its place." He regretfully relayed.

"Where is the rest of Navaz's army?"

"They are stationed in Sevan but I told them to ride to here if the Sabirs decide to vacate Balaam." He said.

"Thank you for the information. Gabrielle and I will need to devise a plan," she gave him a curt nod and he donned his helmet and left with his horse to go to the stables. She turned around to the pale and distraught blonde. "We need to go to Rome. We have to make Odoacer give us his army. We should have left weeks ago and now Balaam is destroyed."

Gabrielle didn't like the sound of going to Rome. She had many memories of that awful place but this was a dire situation and she had to trust Xena on this. "By the time we return from Rome, the Emperor of China should have received our message and Boareks too. Her son killed the Czar and her other son ransacked Balaam. Our letter is only going to give her the satisfaction she wants. We shouldn't have sent her that letter."

"But the Emperor will send troops to Kazakhstan to stop her."

"But she will escape."

Xena groaned. "Yes, it seems she is very good at that, but I am hoping the Chinese army can at least slaughter her men."

"Assuming that she is using her men. She could be using the Gokturk army."

"Good point." She gazed at the calm and serene atmosphere of Pannonia. These people had no idea what was going outside these walls. "Zolten said that the Sabirs use machines called 'cannons'. We should try and replicate them."

Gabrielle frowned and cocked her head. "We don't even know what they look like or how they work. How are we going to build something if don't know the mathematics behind it?"

Xena smiled deviously. "Farah." She snapped her fingers. "She is good at math. If Zolten can explain what these machines look like and how they operate then Farah can make a…a map to build them."

"You know, you were saying some really doubtful things about Farah and now you want her to make plans for cannons." Gabrielle smiled at the resentful brunette.

"I was wrong about her. She is very smart," Xena grumbled. "Anastasia is horrible at math. She can't even count to eighty without her head hurting. Farah knows seven languages and if she is as good at math as she says she is then she will be perfect for the job."

"Uh huh."

Xena ignored that comment and tapped her fingertips against one another. "We should leave for Rome tonight. If we stop for camp once we can reach Odoacer in a week. And then we could –" She paused and witnessed the four queens throwing Balmaq out onto the field.

The Sabir prince was covered in blood, bruises, cuts and it was obvious at least one of his arms was broken. Gabrielle walked forward to stand beside her consort and observed Anastasia kicking the man forward, yelling at him to stand up. She barely gave him a chance to get to his knees before he was knocked down into the grass again.

"I said get up you worthless piece of goat shit!" she yelled and kicked him a foot away from her and he spat out some blood and exhaled heavily. Anastasia grabbed him by his long hair and thrust his head back and lifted him to his blood soaked knees.

She wrapped her arm around his neck and he swallowed deeply. "Your mother harmed my daughter," she hissed in his ear. "She hurt my son and my daughter in law and wounded Kreka Khatun –a woman who I think of as my mother. And  _you_ …you killed one of my allies."

Balmaq smiled and had a hard time keeping his sore bruised eye open while the other was closed shut from all the beatings he received from the Hun queens. "If you kill me then my mother will hunt you. You won't be able…to sleep knowing that she will be hunting you like a fox. And what a sweet fox you are, Hun queen."

"I will be ready for her." She whispered and his smile disappeared. "And she will be surprised to hear that I have her youngest son as my hostage."

His mouth parted for only a moment and she slit his throat with her blade and threw him on the grass to bleed out like the pig that he was. Both Gabrielle and Xena stood off to the side with gaping mouths and huge eyes, shocked to witness such an act from Anastasia. Xena had only seen her daughter behave this way before and that was when she was intent on becoming the commander of Pannonia, which lasted a short time. The woman that Xena raised had become everything that Gabrielle feared. She was just like her mother, except with a higher status among everyone.

Several soldiers ran over to retrieve the body and Ana held up her hand. "Leave him. Let him be an example to everyone here."

"She killed him in cold blood," Gabrielle said while her eyes watched the bright green grass turn crimson and soak the soil with Sabir blood.

Anastasia wiped Balmaq's blood off her cheek and stared at all the surprised citizens around her. She yelled at her fellow queen counterparts. "Bring me the Sabir boy!"

Gabrielle panicked and saw Ernak hurry inside the Adame to retrieve Kutilzis. "Anastasia, what are you doing?!" she ran forward and the furious queen spun around and Gabrielle stopped. She saw that look in her eyes. She recognized that look before. Xena had those eyes decades ago –filled with malice, hate and a hefty desire for retribution.

"Anastasia please…" she begged.

Ernak brought forth the Sabir teenager and Anastasia whipped her head around and smiled. She marched over and grabbed Kutilzis by the collar and forced him over to his elder brother's corpse lying on the ground. She pushed him to his knees and he gasped at the sight of his brother. Feeling sick he felt the need to vomit and she grabbed his head full of hair and yanked his head back, staring down at him.

"You take a good look at your brother, boy, because that's exactly what I'm going to do to your entire family." She said with a promising tone.

Xena frowned and then her daughter held the blade to the boy's throat. Gabrielle ran over to stop her but Anastasia backhanded her. Gabrielle fell to the ground on her back, groaning and rubbed her sore cheek. Xena's heart sank and she whipped her sword out and Anastasia pointed her blade at her mother but held Kutilzis in a tight lock.

"Do not come any closer, mother."

"Let the boy go, Anastasia." Xena told her daughter in calm voice. "You're angry. I understand that. Boareks has caused everyone a lot of pain." She took a step closer and Anastasia held the blade against the Sabir teen's throat. She dropped her sword in the grass and Gabrielle sat up, her head still rattled by the ruthless slap to the face.

Xena put up her hands and took another step closer and the blade's edge drew a small amount of blood from Kutilzis' throat. She saw the fear in the boy's eyes and the malevolence in her daughter's. "It is Boareks you want, not Kutilzis," she added. "His mother is the cause of your pain, not him."

Ana's frown deepened and tears filled her blue eyes. "My daughter is mute because of her!" she cried out and Xena took another step closer. The boy breathed heavily and shut his eyes, almost like he was embracing his impending death.

"But she is alive. You're not going to feel better if you kill him…" she reached out, merely a foot away from the blade threatening to slice the boy's throat. "He is a child too. You don't kill children, do you, Ana?" her hand reached further to grab the sword. Tears streamed down the queen's face. "Give me the sword. He doesn't have to die."

Gabrielle stood up and rubbed her face. She made her way over and Xena raised her hand, knowing that she was attempting to approach her.

Anastasia finally lowered the sword from his throat and Xena nodded. "That's right…give it to me." She quickly snatched the blade away and Gabrielle ran over to grab it. Kutilzis collapsed on the ground and gripped his throat, thanking all the gods that he was still living and breathing. Xena embraced her daughter tightly and felt her trembling in their hold.

* * *

Csaba combed his hair with his fingers up into a messy bun and stared at himself in the mirror for a few moments too long. He grabbed the oil that Farah liked using on her body and hair. He peered through the reflection at his wife who was sitting on the bed, muttering to herself as she was teaching herself the language of the Sabirs.

He quietly slipped the oil onto his palms figuring that she wouldn't mind if he used some of it. Smiling, he smoothed the oil on his defined toned arms, neck and taut abdominals. He fingered his hair with the left over oil on his fingertips and casually set the bottle back onto Farah's vanity.

"My mother keeping you busy?" he asked while continuing to work the oil into his skin. She flipped the paper over and kept studying while ignoring his question. "Farah?"

She frowned and tapped the pen on her cheek, looking over her notes. She looked down at herself and rested her hand over the small but prominent bump and smiled. "Csaba!" she set the pen down and waved her hand. "Csaba, come here!"

He ran over and sat on the edge of the bed. "What's the matter?" he instantly worried over her. She grabbed his hand and placed it over her belly. He waited and looked at her beaming face then he felt a small flutter against his palm. " _Tatli_   _kucuk_ ," he whispered.

"So adorable," she fixated her eyes on the child within her and Csaba couldn't help but laugh lightly at her enthusiasm. "Our baby is saying hello." She cupped his cheeks and kissed him on the lips.

Dengi opened the door and Csaba pulled away, blushing when he laid eyes on his uncle. "Why is it that every time I see you you're shirtless," he teased.

"I was just getting dressed," Csaba stood up and felt extremely naked standing in his pants. "Do you need something, uncle?" Dengi walked over and smiled briefly at Farah and whispered in his nephew's ear. Csaba nodded and turned, staring at his excited wife. "Thanks for telling me…" he said and Dengi bowed his head and made a hasty exit.

Farah's hand lay rest on her abdomen and she looked at Csaba whose expression changed to solemn as soon as Dengizich left the room. "What is it?" her hand slid off her belly and she got off the bed. "Csaba, what is it? What? You can tell me."

* * *

Kreka, Tuya and Fairuza stood in the foyer waiting patiently for Anastasia to return from the field. They stared outside and saw Xena talking to her daughter on the field next to the Sabir corpse. In the midst of quiet circle of queens, Farah's loud wailing-like scream echoed throughout the entire Adame. Kreka lifted her eyes to the second floor and the other queens looked around, alarmed by the Czarina's outburst.

Rabia exited the women's quarters with the other women and they all looked at one another with concern. Farah hurried across the hall and Kreka's eyes followed the girl as she stormed down the long staircase and Csaba shortly followed her.

"Farah!" her sister called out and ran to the stairs. Farah's face was flushed and drenched in tears. "What happened? Did  _he_  do something to you?" she frowned at Csaba and he backed away back up the stairs from the look in Rabia's dark eyes.

"No…no…" Farah shook her head and tears continued streaming down her cheeks, leaving her sister puzzled. "Where is the queen? Where is she?" she turned, asking all of the queens.

"She is outside," Kreka said and Farah made her towards the exit. "You can't go out there!" she grabbed Farah's hand and pulled her back inside.

"Let go of me!" she growled and the khatun wrapped her arm around the thin girl and she got elbowed in the stomach. Kreka gasped and backed away, trying to catch her breath. Tuya and Fairuza grabbed the girl by her arms and held onto her tightly so she couldn't escape. Csaba rushed over to Kreka and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh my god," he muttered. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry."

She held up her hand and took in a deep breath to subside the throbbing pain coursing through her insides. "I'll be fine…" she reassures.

Anastasia walked inside alone with puffy red eyes and frowned at the White queens holding Farah back. "What is going on in here?" she quickly turned her queen mode on after she nearly snapped on the field earlier.

Farah wiggled out of the hold and rushed over to her, gripping her shoulders. Ana's eyes widened as the Czarina shook her roughly. "My father is dead?!" she yelled and Rabia's jaw dropped.

"What?!" screamed Rabia and dug her fingernails in her perfectly slicked back hair.

"I'm sorry," Ana tells the horrified Czarina hanging onto her. "Ellac and Dengi went to save him but it was too late." She explained and Farah slid down to her knees and buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "I'm very sorry, Farah." She ran her hand over the girl's silken dark hair and walked around her.

Those were not the words she wanted to say as she was fond of Czar Danut for the way he spoke so poorly of his daughter before his death. But she felt obligated to save the man for Farah's and Rabia's sake and because of the long standing alliance he had with Attila. She walked by the star-struck queens and frowned at her son, who was shirtless.

He blushed and wrapped his arms around himself, slightly embarrassed. "Go tend to your wife," she ordered.

"Yes mother…" he felt a sense of coldness from her as she brushed by and walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

* * *

Xena dipped a cold cloth in water and dabbed Gabrielle's bloody plump bottom lip. The blonde governor winced and her partner smiled faintly. "I'm sorry she did this to you," she shook her head and looked at the handprint on Gabrielle's cheek. The pain inflicted by none other than her own daughter and if she would have been anyone else, Xena would have retaliated.

Gabrielle massaged her jaw and knew her face was going to be sore for awhile. "She sure knows how to slap someone." She tried to make a joke out of the situation but Xena was having none of it. "It's okay, Xena."

"No it's not! My daughter hit you!" she creased her eyebrows together and touched the wound on her partner's lip.

Gabrielle shrugged a lame shoulder. "I shouldn't have gotten in her way. She was very angry."

"That doesn't give her the right to hit you." She rung out the rag and reached for some herbs and gently smeared some on the blonde's lip. "I've never seen her like that before. She lost control of herself." She gingerly finished off spreading the herbs and then rinsed her fingers. "I should have never left her with Balmaq."

"Xena, that isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself for everything your daughter does. She is her own person and it's time that you let her face the consequences by  _herself_." She grabbed her partner's chin and turned her face. "You've been doing this since she was a teenager. She's not a little girl anymore. She hasn't been a girl in a very long time. She knew exactly what she was doing and instead of behaving rationally, she chose not to. It's as simple as that."

The commander let out a heavy sigh. "She hit you, Gabrielle."

"And if you were the one who was to step in, she would have hit you too." She grinned weakly and reached for her hands. "She didn't see me. She was blinded by her anger and if I wasn't there or you weren't there, she would have hit anyone in her path. I don't blame her and it doesn't mean that I love her any less."

Xena smiled and kissed the blonde's knuckles. "You're a better woman than I am. I would have decked her." She slightly chuckled.

Gabrielle shared a laugh with the commander and then rubbed her sore face. "Now I know why Ellac flinches every time Anastasia raises a hand to him." She joked. "So, when are we leaving for Rome?" she quickly changed the subject.

"We don't have to leave tonight. I was being ambitious. We could leave in a couple of days."

"Xena," she placed a finger to her talkative lips. "I'm fine and we're going tonight like we planned." She got off the floor and padded into their bedroom to gather the necessities for the journey.

Xena got up and leaned on the doorway. "I'll give you permission to hit her back."

Gabrielle raised her eyebrow and threw her saddlebag on the bed. "No thank you."

"Come on, you deserve some payback. I'll even hold her for you." She smirked with a delicious sneer.

"I'm not going to hit your daughter." She grabbed her bottles of herbs and stuffed them in the bag.

"You know you  _want_  to." Her voice changed pitch, inciting the governor.

Gabrielle folded her arms. "How 'bout I hit  _you_  instead?"

Xena scoffed and walked over to begin packing as well. "And mess up my face before I see Odoacer? I gotta seduce him somehow."

* * *

Anastasia sat in her office and dipped the pen into the ink well as she finished what she gave Gabrielle days ago. She more upset that the declaration wasn't finished before Gabrielle and her mother decided to leave to go to Rome. She lifted her eyes as soon as Csaba entered the room and then went back to finishing the last paragraph.

"You wanted to see me?" he laced his hands behind his back and she nodded in silence and signed her name at the bottom of the parchment and then scooted the document to the edge of her desk and held out the pen.

"I want you to sign this." She ordered and he stepped closer to the desk and flipped through four pages and didn't really have the patience to read every single detail.

"What is it?"

She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. "It is a declaration for our empire and Banat. Now that the Czar is dead, I am assigning Banat to you. You will be king of the Szekelys and prince of the Huns. I just need your signature at the bottom next to mine."

He frowned and set the pen down. "What about Farah?"

"She will be queen of her people and princess of the Huns. Same as you. Now sign it." She pushed the pen back towards him and he raised an eyebrow.

"My wife's father just died and she's attending his funeral right now and all you care about is who is going to take over his kingdom?" he said in disbelief and disgust of his mother's behavior. Anastasia stood up slowly, challenging her son and he felt instant regret mouthing off to her.

"I have to look out for our people, Csaba. You have no right to question me. I am your mother but I am also your queen." she picked up the pen and held it a few inches from his chest. " _Sign_."

Out of force, he signed his name next to hers and she smiled then rolled up the four papers and tied it with a ribbon. "Will I have to move to Banat?"

"Eventually but for now I want you in Pannonia during this Sabir invasion. I have to take this to your father. Tell me when Farah returns and I will fulfill all of her requests."

Csaba's eyebrows rose and he turned around just as his mother was leaving. "You will?  _Everything_?"

"She is my daughter in law. She can have whatever she wants." She winked and left the room. He scratched his head and mumbled under his breath.

* * *

Entering her room she closed the door behind her and closed her eyes, taking a moment for herself. She placed the declaration on the table within her room and opened a jar and took a small handful of opiates and stuffed them in her mouth. Leaning her palms on the table, she chewed the flowerets and then poured a glass of wine and chugged it.

Ellac walked in the room and she swallowed the wine and wiped her mouth and finished chewing the opiates. He closed the door and she spun around, smiling softly. "Wine? This early in the morning?" he asked.

"I've had a very stressful week."

He nodded and was handed the declaration and he tucked it into his belt. "Killing that Sabir prince, slapping Gabrielle and almost slaughtering a child. Yes, a busy week indeed." He brushed by her and she scowled. "Arielle keeps asking about Navaz. I told her nothing happened and he's fine."

Her face softened and she leaned up against the table, now feeling the effects of the opiates and her entire body relaxed and her heart raced slowed to a steady beat.

"You should go talk to her." He poured sugar into two glasses of tea and turned to his quiet wife.

"Yes…I will." She ran a hand over her face.

He handed her the cup and she smiled briefly and took a small sip. He kept his eyes on her which made her feel slightly uncomfortable. "What is going on with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You almost killed Kutilzis, Anastasia and you hit Gabrielle! You love her. Why would you do that?"

"I hit you all the time," she played coy.

He grabbed her face and she was too high to bother to combat him. He studied her huge pupils that took up almost the entirety of her Aegean eyes. "Are you on drugs?" he asked seriously and she blinked slowly and said nothing. "Where is it?"

He began searching for the drugs and looked through all of her bottles on her vanity and she grabbed his arm. "Ellac, stop." He pushed her back gently and opened all of the jars on the shelves of their bedroom and she eyed the jar on the desk. He spun around and caught her gaze and she was too slow to react so he grabbed the jar and opened it and dumped out all the opiate flowerets on the desk.

"What the fuck is this." He pointed to the table and she dug her fingers into her hair and bit her bottom lip. "How long have you been taking these? This is enough to drug an entire army, Anastasia."

"Not very long…I was just saving it."

"Saving it for what? How much of these do you take every day?" he asked and she bowed her head. "Answer me!" she flinched at his tone. "Who gave these to you? Was it Ebnedzar?"

"No!"

"Then who was it? Tell me so they won't give you any more." He tapped his fingers on the tabletop. "Tell me!"

She growled. "I stole them!" she shouted and the room fell silent. "I stole them from Ebnedzar."

He smiled, nodding his head very slowly. "Who are you?" he wagged his head in disappointment. "I need some air. You stay here and don't come out. I'm going to talk with my brothers and I'm stripping you of your status temporarily."

"Ellac! You can't!"

"Yes I  _can_." He grabbed her wrist firmly. "I'm giving Kreka your position for now. I will say you aren't feeling well and we won't ever speak of this again." He eyed the flowerets sprawled across the table. "And get rid of those. I don't want Cera or Arielle to see that."

* * *

After some difficulty trying to get into the gates of Rome, Xena and Gabrielle finally arrived and both were more than eager to talk to Odoacer but they were not prepared for what lay before them when they entered the throne chamber. Theodoric ceased talking with the emperor and both women gazed at them in awe.

"Ladies, I'm sorry if you had trouble getting into my city. It is on lockdown at the moment. Don't want those horrible Sabirs coming in here. Must take precaution." Odoacer chortled.

"What the hell is this?" Xena blurted out, forgetting all of her manners. "You two having tea and cake together?"

The emperor stepped off his throne and threw the long shawl over his shoulder. "I have allied with my dear friend, Theodoric. We have agreed to split the empire."

She smiled and then started laughing. Gabrielle nervously looked up at her and back at the Goth king and Odoacer. "You've got to be kidding." She crossed her arms over her black corset. "Nice joke, Odoacer."

The blonde Goth approached her and she took a step back. "I thought King Navaz would have relayed the message to you. I told him that I was allying with Rome against Justinian."

"Oh how  _predictable_  of you to switch sides," Xena felt her stomach burning, threatening to vomit on the both of them. He took another step closer and she snarled. "Get away from me, Visigoth."

"Xena, we can be friends. What happened between us was so long ago."

"I can name plenty of reasons why I would never be friends with you."

Gabrielle interrupted. "Enough of this foolishness. We came here to ask a favor of you, Odoacer." She spoke eloquently and he grinned at her in a way that made her sick to the core. "We're here to ask for your army. The Sabirs attacked Balaam and they might be coming for Pannonia next. Since we are allies with you, we were hoping you could give Xena temporary access to your legions."

Odoacer rubbed his chin and playfully eyed the commander. "Is this true, Xena? Do you really want my army?"

"Yes…" she said through gritted teeth. She had to keep herself in check so she wouldn't pummel the man. "I need to defeat Boareks and her army. She's on her way to Kazakhstan now to infiltrate the Nezaks."

"I see, I see." He pretended to care.

So far, Gabrielle was the one who was about to lose it. "She will come after you too, Odoacer. And since she is best friends with Justinian, he will come for you too. We both know that you don't want that."

Theodoric agreed. "You should give her the army, Odoacer. Xena is very good at handling Romans. Aren't you?" he raised an eyebrow at the heated commander.

"Rot in hell, Goth king." She spat and Gabrielle closed her eyes, taking in a few deep breaths.

"Is that any way to behave to your ally that you so graciously are asking a favor of?" the emperor chided and Xena rolled her eyes. "I'll give you my army."

Gabrielle lifted her head. "You will?" that was too easy, she thought. "What do you want?"

He laughed. "Oh, Gabrielle! You are a very smart woman. I loved it when we worked together. I wish I had a consul as smart as you," he touched her shoulder and she cringed. "Why do you always think that I want something from you gorgeous ladies?"

"Can it, Odoacer." Xena hissed. "Tell us the conditions and we can put an end to this bullshit."

"Alright, alright." He walked back to his throne and took his time situating himself before he sat down. Gabrielle and Xena were both beginning to become very impatient with the Roman. Theodoric was not helping with his sneers and snickering. "I'll give you control of my army if you protect my empire against Justinian."

Xena snuffed a laugh. "I can't promise anything but I will do my best I have a condition too."

"Which is?"

"If I ever see Theodoric again I will cut him into pieces and feed him to the dogs."

The Goth king frowned and walked over to stand beside his new found ally. "You don't get to make threats like that anymore, Xena. I am an ally of Rome now. I am protected."

"Then don't look at me when I am around and we can all get along. What do ya say?" she waved her hand to dismiss the conversation.

"Fine. Whatever." Odoacer relented.

Gabrielle smiled finally out of relief. "Now we can all be civil to each other." She whipped out a paper that she worked on during the trip and presented it to both of the men. "With the army, also comes with expenses. Everything will be paid for by the Roman treasury and nothing will come out of the Hun's treasury. Xena will also be granted the role of general and I will be the commanding officer. I will also record everything that we spend, which includes weapons, armor, food, water, medicine and wine. Any questions?" she batted her eyelashes and the emperor's jaw dropped at the lengthy contract.

* * *

Xena and Gabrielle walked through the halls of the grand Roman palace. Gabrielle kept staring at the paper that Odoacer signed and felt very proud of herself. Xena grinned and nudged her arm. "I'm proud of you. That was the best thing I've ever seen."

"His face was glorious, Xena! I wish I could have a portrait of it!" she chuckled.

"I love you very much. You're the best governor, a wonderful friend and aunt to all of the Hun children." Her cheeks flushed and Gabrielle bit her upper lip, enjoying the rainbow of compliments showered upon her. "Even to my ungrateful daughter."

"Ah come on, Xena. I still love her. She's like a daughter to me too. My lip is a lot better now. See?" she pointed to her wounded lip which was now a mere bruise instead of a swollen cut. She received an impish expression from her partner. "Oh yeah, I love you too."

"I was wondering when you were going to say that." The commander says sheepishly. "I promise when all of this is over I am going to give you your surprise."

Gabrielle nods. "I was wondering when you were going to bring that up. Can you please give me a hint?"

"No."

"Fine. Don't tell me." She pouted. "By the way, are we staying here with the army? I really hate Rome."

"Ditto." Xena wrapped an arm around the short governor. "We'll stay for a couple of days and then get the hell out of here. The army comes back to Pannonia with us. Boareks should have gotten the letter by now and China will attack her soon. I hope…"

* * *

Csaba walked into his cousin's yurt and Oran jumped up in a fright. Oran smiled and took the pipe he was smoking out of his mouth. "Fuck, cousin. I thought you were my mother!" he slapped him on the back and Csaba smiled nervously. "Come sit with us," he walked over to his two friends sitting on the floor.

"Are you smoking hashish?" Csaba waft his hand through the thick clouds of smoke inside the yurt. He was forced to sit down beside his cousin and saw a huge needle being heated over a small fire. "What are you doing?"

"Tattoos, Csaba." Oran concentrated on heating the needle evenly. He wagged the hot needle in the air and inhaled a large amount of smoke and his two friends grinned deviously. "You want one?" he grabbed the bottle of blue ink.

He looked at Oran's back and arms covered in tattoos much like Ebnedzar. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

Oran clicked his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "Afraid of needles, cousin? Come on, just a small one. I'll be gentle."

"I don't think Farah would approve of any tribal tattoos, Oran. I'll just sit back and watch."

The son of Ebnedzar, also grandson of Attila, shrugged his shoulders and dipped the needle in the ink and began dabbing it on his friend's fresh skin. "How's your wife anyway? Sorry to hear about her father." He sighed. "Excited about being a father, eh?"

Csaba smiled thinking of his child. "Yeah. She let me feel the baby move for the first time."

"You big softie," Oran chuckled. "I must say, she is the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen."

"Oran…"

"Hey, relax, cousin. She's all yours." He winked at the prince and continued tattooing his friend. "You sure you don't want one?" he gestured to the needle and Csaba raised his eyebrow suspiciously. "We can make it a tradition. When your son is of age then he can get one too."

"What if I have a daughter?"

Oran laughed. "God forbid you have a daughter! She'll be just as beautiful as her mother and you'll never get the men off of her!"

Csaba's face drained of color. He hadn't even thought of that. Anxiously, he fidgeted with the fur blankets on the floor and his cousin took notice.

"Csaba! You really need to relax! You're too uptight. You're having a baby you should be over the moon." He dipped the needle in the ink and handed the pipe to his cousin. "You should smoke that. It will help you unwind."

"My mother doesn't approve of hashish…"

Oran scoffed. "Neither does mine. Doesn't stop me, does it?"

**AN: Boareks next :)**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – _The Gokturk Alliance Part I_

Boareks sat on her horse looking over the Nezak Hun tribe. She saw them scurrying behind their large wall that protected their precious people and smiled. Bey Malka was on the wall, staring her down while his men frantically prepared to war with her. Queen Yeter galloped up to her ally and tapped the Sabir woman's shoulder.

"A message from your son," she relayed and Boareks smiled, grabbing the parchment.

As she read over the message she frowned, not recognizing the handwriting to be from any of her sons. The cursive was written so meticulously and had the appearance of a calligraphist. Each letter was perfect and the sentences were formed so thoughtfully. She tore the paper in half and tossed it into the grass.

Yeter raised her eyebrow. "What is wrong?"

"That letter is not from either of my sons. Someone else wrote it." She began to feel very suspicious and paranoid. Her eyes darted to the Nezaks and the Gokturk army behind her. She felt eyes upon her but didn't know who. "Someone knows I am here."

"The Pannonian Huns?" Yeter suggested.

Boareks steered her horse to the back row of men lined up with the cannons that she graciously gifted the Gokturk Queen and Khan. "Fire at the south wall of the Nezak tribe," she ordered. In the midst of the chaos caused by the Huns ahead, she looked around at the barren land of Kazakhstan and took the hood off her dark hair and squinted her eyes, looking beyond the mountains.

* * *

Emperor Liu's commanding officer and friend of Csaba, sat in a crevice of the mountains of Kazakhstan, with a telescope, watching the Sabir Queen begin to panic and trot along the row of cannons. Wang smiled and gave the telescope to his second in command.

"It seems that message from Farah was right. Look at her, she is afraid." He laughed and the other soldiers snickered along with him. "What fascinating machines. Prepare the black powder and blow up the north mountain."

His second in command, Gui, looked at his higher ranking friend in awe. "That will cause an avalanche." He surveyed the Nezak Huns running around inside their tribe, gathering supplies such as bows, arrows and catapults.

"Exactly, but it won't harm the Huns." Wang advised. "I want the Sabir bitch to be distracted. I want her to know that she is not alone. Do it. I command you."

"Yes, of course, Wang." Gui whistled at the men below holding the barrels of black powder on a bed within the mountains.

Wang crawled up the mountain and ran over to the Emperor and his wife, Zhenfeng, who were waiting patiently beneath a canopy to shield their skin from the harsh sun. He bowed to both of them and knelt down on one knee before he was to report what he saw below in Hun territory.

"Boareks is there with the Gokturk Queen. They are going to attack the wall with their machines."

The Empress scowled at her husband. "You should have never let those Gokturks leave the imperial city," she chastised him in front of the commanding officer. "Who was the one who notified you about the Sabir attack?"

Wang smiled. "Lady Farah. She sent a message. She is in Pannonia with Csaba's family."

Zhenfeng was pleased to hear that and grinned at the officer, ignoring her husband's beady eyes. "I am glad that she is doing well. I will have to make a trip to Pannonia to see her."

Emperor Liu waved his hand and leaned back in the chair, glaring at Wang. "What is your strategy to get rid of the Sabir queen?"

Wang's smile disappeared and he stared at his ruler with a serious expression. "I told Gui to blow up the north mountain with our black powder, your highness. Boareks will know that the Huns are not alone."

Right after he explained the plan, they heard a loud boom. Wang ran to the west side of the mountain and what he thought was the black powder causing the north mountain to cascade down onto the plains, was actually the machines that the Sabir woman had and parts of the Nezak wall fell. He slapped his forehead and then ran to the men down in the belly of the mountain.

"Blow it up now!" he yelled and Gui yelled at the soldiers to hurry and carrying the barrels over their heads to the north mountain. Wang panicked and heard another explosion and now almost the entirety of the south Nezak wall was down.

* * *

Malka coughed from the smoke the cannons put off around the wall. He stood up and brushed the debris out of his hair and pat down his soot laden arms and ran to see the damage. He gasped at the south wall and more than half of it was gone. He looked down the men who were supposed to be preparing the catapults but was having complications loading the ballistic weapons properly.

He ran up to the tallest tower and glared at the Sabir queen sitting on her horse with a big satisfied smile on her face. His eyes darted to the Gokturk queen who was manning the machines in the back of the army. It wasn't a very big army, but those machines were causing most of the damage.

He jumped down onto the wall and grabbed a soldier who was about to pass out from shock. "I want her machines destroyed. Aim the catapults at her machines now!" he threw the man into the wall and hurried to instruct the others below on what to do.

"Do it again," Boareks ordered. As the Gokturks were loading the cannons she felt the entire ground shake and rumble. She whipped her head around and stared at the mountain behind the Nezak tribe, crumble and slide down onto the plains, heading right towards her and Yeter's army.

The Song flag was waved high up in the mountains and she snarled. "Chinese," she grumbled and began to retreat from the avalanche. Yeter also left her post and trampled over some of her men to escape. Both, not caring for the fate of the soldiers that each queen employed.

Bey Malka opened the gates and saw the Sabir and Gokturk fleeing. "Follow them!" he yelled at the horsemen waiting behind the wall. "I want their heads brought to me!"

* * *

The Roman army was stationed in the outer rim of Pannonia where the Hun army and recruits lived in their yurts. Xena was more than surprised that Odoacer gave her the army without hesitation but she thought that he was more worried about Justinian than Boareks. She didn't care if he was scared of his Roman counterpart or not because she just wanted to use the Hun army and Roman army to fight Boareks.

The good thing about having the Roman imperial army in her hands was that she didn't have to train them. She even thought it was a good idea that her young recruits learned some Roman strategies and had the Roman soldiers teach the Hun boys how to use a sword the Roman way and how to attack enemies with quick thrusts instead of swinging the blade mindlessly like most of them did.

Gabrielle offered to be the officer of the army but she thought that wasn't the wisest decision given that she was also the governor of the Hun Empire. She felt like she was spreading herself too thin. She had to tend to everything in the empire and oversee the Roman army, but Xena was more than complacent. She was very calm and relaxed, more than Gabrielle had ever seen her before.

After a long morning conversation with Kreka, Gabrielle thought her brain was going to explode. Kreka was a far more demanding woman than Ana ever was. She was given the task to oversee the changes that Farah requested in the Adame, help Csaba with the documents needed for the Banat takeover and handle the treasury per Ellac's orders.

She marched up to Xena on the hill and nearly collapsed. Xena, now commander of the Huns and once again, General of Rome, caught her partner before she fell. Gabrielle thanked her and sat down on the grass, watching the Romans teach the young Huns how to thrust their enemies with a sword and whack them with a large shield.

"Must be nice to be in charge of one thing," she mustered and glared up at the smiling commander.

"Gabrielle, you're the one who wanted to be officer. I could always give the position to someone else if you're too overwhelmed."

"No, I wanted to do this so I'm going to!" she snapped. "But I might need a nap first," she felt her strength waning and it was only early afternoon. She had so much to do and didn't know how she was going to complete it all in a timely manner. "I hate Kreka."

Xena shrugged. "Don't we all sometimes. She's not as bad as Tuya."

"I mean, I hate it when she's in charge. She is so irritating. I wanted to slap her this morning!" Gabrielle rammed her fist into her palm. Just thinking of planting her knuckles in the khatun's face was very satisfying, even though she was never going to do it. "When is Ellac going to give Anastasia's duties back? I don't think I can deal with Kreka for another week."

The commander sighed. "Who knows? It's his judgment. If he thinks she is unfit to be a queen right now I'm not going to step in the way."

Gabrielle turned her head up slowly, giving the brunette a disapproval look. "What are you talking about? You always step in the way. You're just going to let them continue to fight?"

"Anastasia told me to stop interfering and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Well what if I order you to butt in?"

Xena chuckled and punched Gabrielle in the shoulder lightly. "Not going to happen. They always fight. It's normal for them."

"Not this time, Xena. Please, Kreka is driving me insane! I want Anastasia to take up her role again. Please?"

"No I'm not going to do it! Kreka isn't that bad. Quit whining, Gabrielle. You're the governor; you should know how to handle the dragon lady."

The governor sulked and lay back on the grass, staring up at the sky. "Will you arrest me if I punch Kreka in the face?"

"No I'll let her punch you back," Xena snickered. She sniffed the air and looked at the dark clouds looming over the kingdom. "It's going to rain. We should go inside." She leaned over the blonde who was lying on the grass with her arms sprawled out. "Are you coming or do you want to get wet?"

"I don't care."

Xena lifted an eyebrow and pulled up her cohort off the grass. "I need to talk to Farah about the cannons. Do you want to come with me or wallow in your self-pity?"

"I am  _not_  wallowing…" she folded her arms and looked up at her with a pouty lip. "Fine, I'll come." She relented.

"I knew you'd see things my way. And I promise if Kreka bothers you again, I'll make sure you get the first swing."

Gabrielle frowned and winced at the heavy arm placed around her frame. "I wasn't serious about that. I'm not going to hit her."

"You really shouldn't say things like that, Gabrielle. You know I take those things very seriously." She jested. "Kreka was never a horrible queen, you know that first hand."

"I know, I know." The governor sighed deeply. "She's just very bossy."

" _All_  queens are bossy. It's part of their job."

"Not like her!"

Xena pulled the blonde close and heard her moan softly in pain. "Maybe Anastasia could give you some of her opiates. So ya know, you can  _relax_."

"That is not funny and I'm surprised you didn't lay into her about that. She blew up when you smoked opium and she wasn't very happy when Ellac did it either."

"She's just a big hypocrite," she says with a huge smile. "But hey, we all make mistakes, right?"

Gabrielle shoved her partner away and fixed her short locks. "I don't even know you anymore. You're too calm. Are  _you_  taking opiates?" she pried, now suspicious of the odd behavior coming from the commander.

"Gabrielle, I don't do drugs." She protested with feigning innocence while placing a hand on her chest. "I'm just in a good mood. You should try it sometime."

* * *

Csaba sat on the bed playing with his uncle's son, Kurt. He smiled at the baby and looked over at Farah who was sitting at his desk, drawing and writing down formulas and measuring the parchment for precision lines. He sighed and was started to get annoyed watching Kurt by himself for the last two hours.

"Farah, why don't you take a break and watch him?"

She was so focused that she didn't even hear him and moved the ruler up to the top of the large parchment that encompassed the entire desk. Csaba grabbed Kurt and placed him on the floor surrounded by an abundance of pillows. He walked over to his wife and peered over her shoulder, watching her work.

Farah raised her eyebrow and turned around. "Do you mind?"

"You didn't tell me you were so good at drawing. You should be our engineer!" he smiled and she turned around to get back to work. "Farah, I'm serious. I want you to watch Kurt. I have been watching him for two hours. Bakkah isn't going to come back for another hour so I'd appreciate it if you watched him…"

"Csaba, I'm trying to make plans for our baby's room and a bathhouse. I'm supposed to finish this and give it to your mother by tomorrow morning." She grabbed a glass of coffee and took a sip of it and went back to drawing with the charcoal.

He frowned and grabbed the cup of coffee and sat on the desk, preventing her from drawing.

"Csaba!" she yelled. "Get off!"

"Why are you drinking this? It's not good for the baby you know."

She tried to push him off of the desk and he refused to budge. "It's only one cup. Now, get off before you smear all my hard work!" she shoved him and the cup of coffee fell out of his hand and spilled all over the parchment. "No!" she grabbed a cloth and dabbed the paper and the liquid spread and smeared half of her work. "You ruined it!"

He wiped the spilt coffee off his blouse and glared at her. "It was an accident, Farah."

Xena and Gabrielle walked in and observed the two young couple fighting. Farah pushed Csaba and Kurt was on the floor, crawling towards the weapons wrack on the far side of the room. Gabrielle gasped and ran forward and scooped up the curious infant in her arms. He grinned up at her and she walked back over to Xena who was intently staring at her grandson continuing to argue with his young wife.

Farah sat down and dug her fingers in her hair and sobbed softly, staring at all of her hard work that was ruined in just a few seconds. Csaba shook his head and bent down to clean up the broken glass pieces from the cup that flung out of his hand earlier.

Xena marched over and grabbed his arm and pulled him off the floor. "What did you do?" she hissed.

"She pushed me and the coffee spilled all over her drawing!" he said and felt his arm go numb by his grandmother's grip.

"Now I have to do this all over again!" Farah ripped the parchment in half and threw it on the ground and rolled out a fresh one and put weights on each corner. "If you would have just let me finish then none of this would have happened."

He scoffed. "I asked you to watch Kurt and you ignored me and you know you aren't supposed to be drinking coffee, Farah!"

"Shut up!" Xena screamed and he flinched. "Csaba, you need to compromise with her. If she was working on something then you should let her finish. And coffee isn't going to kill her."

Gabrielle walked forward and handed him baby Kurt and he stared at her confusedly. "And while you two were arguing, he was crawling over to the weapons wrack. You need to keep an eye on him."

He stared down at his baby cousin who was giggling and smiling, completely oblivious to the chaos around him. He sighed and looked over at Farah who was drawing in silence and angrily, he might add. "I'm going to be a horrible father."

* * *

_Twenty One Years ago_

Anastasia rushed into her mother's room, holding her crying son in her arms. Xena cringed and awoke from the loud child screaming and lit a candle beside her bed and sat up, rubbing her face and widened her eyes at her teenage daughter standing at the end of the bed, weeping just as much as Csaba was.

"He…won't stop crying!" she sobbed further and Xena groaned then scooted over and offered her daughter to sit beside her. Ana rushed over and sat on the bed, urging her mother take her crying son. "I don't know what to do! Mom, you have to help me. Please mother, please! I can't do this by myself!"

"Okay, okay!" Xena took Csaba and brought her knees up and rested him against her thighs. She swaddled his flaying arms in the blankets and touched his hot forehead. "Did you feed him?"

Ana shook her head. "He won't let me! Mother, make him stop please…" she begged and kept sobbing like a mad woman.

Xena peered over at her daughter with circles under her eyes and smirked. "Maybe you should stop crying too. Where is Ellac?"

"Sleeping in the guest room," she answered and bit her fingernails anxiously.

"Go get him." She pressed and Anastasia sat still, focused on her wailing son. "Go. Get. Him." She pointed at the doorway. She smiled at her grandson and waited patiently for her daughter to return with the stubborn prince who was now made king two months ago. He was lucky that she allowed him to stay in her yurt a few times during the week as long as he didn't sleep in the same room as Anastasia.

Ellac was dragged into the bedroom by Anastasia and Xena sat up and held Csaba in her arms. He covered his ears from the loud wailing coming from his son and couldn't believe the lungs on that child. Anastasia sat back down on the bed and wiped her teary cheeks.

"Ellac, hold him." Xena said and presented his son to the nervous boy king.

"No! Xena I am not good at this. He doesn't like me!"

"Sure he does." She encouraged him and Ellac slumped his shoulders and walked over and scooped his son into his arms. He held Csaba in his arms and within a few moments the infant prince stopped crying and looked up at Ellac with his big green eyes. "See, he likes you. Now you can take Anastasia back to her room and –" She looked over and her daughter was passed out on the bed with her mouth ajar. She sighed heavily and covered her exhausted daughter with the blankets.

* * *

Xena looked at the horror on her grandson's face that reminded her of his father's face long ago. "You're not going to be a horrible father, Csaba." She reassured him and he looked into her eyes, fearful of the future ahead of him.

"But I was supposed to be watching Kurt and instead I was too busy arguing with Farah." He leered at his wife who gave him a glare while she measured the parchment and continued to draw.

"My advice to you," she placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Pick your battles, Csaba. You're not going to win every time especially with a girl like Farah," she whispered and winked then walked over to the desk. "Farah, I don't want to stress you out but I have a job for you."

The Czarina lifted her head and smiled. "A job for  _me_?" she asks excitedly and batted her long eyelashes.

The commander nodded. "I can see you are very good at math and architecture." She glanced at the ripped parchment on the floor. "I need you to design a machine for me. Zolten will explain everything to you: how they work and what they look like. Do you think you could draw a plan for it?"

Farah frowned and grabbed another parchment and began sketching. Gabrielle smiled at baby Kurt and Csaba was too busy looking at his wife draw quickly and efficiently. Xena cocked her head and watched in silence as the young Czarina drew a quick sketch.

"A machine like this?" Farah held up the parchment and Xena shook her head.

"No, it's not a trebuchet. They're called cannons. Boareks has them and that's what she's been using to obliterate all the tribes. If I get Zolten to come in here and explain everything will you do it?" she leaned on the desk, making the offer to the Czarina which she could not refuse.

Farah smiled nervously. "Of course, commander."

"Great!" Xena cheered. "I want it finished in two days. Will you have it done in time?"

"Well, I…I will see what I can do, commander."

"Fantastic and stop calling me commander." Xena warned the girl and Farah slumped down in the chair. "Only military personnel call me that. You are part of my family now so you call me Xena. Got it?"

Farah bobbed her head. "Yes ma'am."

Gabrielle bit her bottom lip and Csaba hung his head, fearing that his wife was about to get lectured.

"Just…Xena is fine," she says calmly and Farah grinned nervously. "Gabrielle stop ogling the baby and come with me." She walked towards the doors and the governor clung close to Csaba and ran her finger along Kurt's cheek."Gabrielle!"

"Coming!" she ran after her partner. "He's so cute. We should offer to babysit for Ernak and Bakkah."

"No."

"But, Xena! You can't resist his adorable face. Come on…"

"I don't like babysitting unless I'm forced to. We're going to find Zolten and bring him to Farah. If she can make the plans for the cannons I want them built as soon as possible. Which means…you're going to need to talk to Kreka."

Gabrielle gasped. "No way! I've had enough of her for today!"

"Oh well."

* * *

Ellac walked into his bedroom and spotted his wife sitting on the bed with Ursula. He gawked at them and he closed the door quietly then made his way over to the table filled with wine and poured a glass. Anastasia was attempting to sew and followed Ursula's instructions slowly and asked several questions while she anxiously dug the needle into the fabric.

Ursula frowned and grabbed the queen's wrist. "The stitch is too large," she said calmly and became impatient for the last two hours trying to teach Ana how to sew. "Smaller strokes or you will rip the fabric."

Ellac stifled a laugh and Anastasia shot him a glare. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"You trying to sew." He poured a glass of wine and walked over to observe his wife's failures. "What is it supposed to be?"

"I'm not finished with it. It's an outfit for our grandchild," she beamed and her smile stretched from ear to ear. "I hope Csaba and Farah will like it."

He smiled. "Coming from you, I'm sure they will. Ebnedzar is looking for you," he told Ursula. She seemed more than eager to get away from the queen and she had a throbbing headache. She left the room and thanked the king and he smiled at her.

Anastasia continued to follow the pattern that was given to her and she stuck her thumb with the needle. "It's going to take me months to finish this!"

"You have time."

"Ellac…" she set down the fabric in her lap. "When are you going to give me my position back?"

He sighed and set the wine down on the table. "I'm not doing this to torture you, Ana. You deserve a break that you haven't had in a long time. The only reason you were taking opiates was because you were stressed out. I'm trying to help you."

"But it's been two weeks. I am much better now. I am going out of my mind! I am so bored!" she gripped his thigh and he chuckled.

"Enjoy it. Kreka has everything under control. You're still needed even if you aren't queen right now." He cupped her cheek and her face warmed. "So, are you really going to sew that thing?"

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No…" he picked up the fabric and looked at the work his wife did. "How long have you been working on this?" he asked, fearing that she might hit him if he sounded the least bit churlish.

She frowned and snatched the unfinished product from his hands. "Since the wedding. I will have it finished in time!"

"You've been working on it that long and this is how far you've gotten?" he joked and she reached over to hit him and he jumped off the bed. "Hands to yourself, Anastasia."

* * *

Boareks and Yeter traveled into Sevan and the two women looked at the amount of White Huns that were camping out in the lonely Hun city. The Sabir smiled and continued onward to Balaam which was only an hour's ride, if that. Yeter looked at all of the oblivious Huns and grabbed Boareks' arm.

"That bastard Nezak is going to send more men for us! We should have never left Kazakhstan!" she growled and her ally spat at her and pushed her off the horse.

"I did not have enough men to fight the Huns and Chinese. Whoever is left of your army is not my problem." The Sabir queen hissed and Yeter's mouth hung open. "I am going to Balaam to see my how my son is faring. Balmaq should have returned from Banat by now."

The Gokturk queen climbed back on her horse and drew her sword on her supposed friend. "You are a snake, Boareks. You may be protected by Justinian but you are not protected from me or my people. You left my men to die."

"I don't care about your people, Yeter. They can die in hellfire for all I care. I only used you so I could expand my army to invade in Hunnic lands." She smiled and pulled the hood over her hair. "But my mission in Kazakhstan failed so now I will go after the more promising Hun tribes. I no longer need you."

Yeter growled and rode into Sevan. "The Sabir Queen is here!" she yelled at the White Huns and the soldiers turned around, knowing exactly who she was and thought her untrustworthy. "She's riding to Balaam alone!" she looked over her shoulder and saw the shock on Boareks' face and then felt a pierce through her collar bone.

Navaz hobbled out of his tent and lowered his bow, gazing at the Gokturk queen. "Bring her to me and follow the Sabir woman." he ordered his men and fell backwards, exhausted from standing for a few brief moments. He was caught by his men and dragged back into the tent.

* * *

Yeter was pushed into the tent and one of the Huns pulled the arrow out of her shoulder and she screamed in agony and put a hand over the wound. Navaz sat up in the bed and frowned at the Gokturk queen.

"You…should have allied with my people, Gokturk queen. Instead you allied with that bitch of a woman. She doesn't care about you or your people."

She stood up and was pushed back down to her knees. Even though she knew the Hun king was right, she didn't want to admit that she made a grave mistake. She also had no idea if her husband was alive or not or if he was being slaughtered by the Bey of the Nezaks. "Your people hate me."

"Not as much as Boareks does." He said and wrapped an arm around his aching chest. "I'm going to make you an offer. Ally with me and help me get rid of the Sabirs. I want them eradicated from Hun land."

Yeter snickered and gaped at the Huns surrounding her with spears and bows, ready to strike her if she made a move against their leader. "Why would I do that? Our people haven't gotten along in decades."

"If you ally with me I will give you half of my land. We can rule together." He held his hand out. "What do you say, Gokturk queen?" he saw her hesitation. "I am sparing your life. You have no way out now. You've betrayed Boareks and she will kill you."

She frowned and stood up slowly and he waved his hand at the men and they backed off. "All of my people are welcome in your land?" she asked and he nodded.

"Your children can stay in Pannonia while I rebuild my Adame."

She bowed her head. "I don't have any children," she sadly admitted.

Navaz's cheeks turned a rosy pink and he looked at the men standing guard on either side of his bed. "Oh. Well any other children in your tribe are welcome to stay in Pannonia. I will send word to Ellac and Anastasia. What of your husband? Where is he?"

"I don't know if he is alive or not. Surely, the Nezaks have killed him by now."

He snapped his fingers at the soldiers. "We will go to Pannonia. Boareks is going to come here with her son and army. She knows we are here now." He shot a glare at the Gokturk queen. The men trailed out and now he was alone with her and he tapped his fingers on the sheets. "If your husband is dead then you are indebted to me."

"I am still queen of my people, Hun king."

"That you are but you will marry a Hun and then you will be truly part of us." He grinned and her face turned a ghostly white. "You are very young. Younger than my wife and the other Hun women. Ellac's nephew is not married to anybody. I'm sure I can arrange something."

"I am not going to marry a Hun!" she snarled.

"If you don't comply with me I will kill you and all of your people. You don't have much of a choice, Queen Yeter. Oran is not a prince but he is directly from Attila's line. I'm sure Boareks would have married you off to one of her sons and trust me you don't want to do that. Her son who attacked me is vicious and he is dumb as a box of rocks. Oran is very smart and handsome much like all of Attila's sons and grandsons."

She sighed and looked at the bloody hole in her collar bone. She felt like she had no choice but submit to the Hun king and knowing that her husband might be dead; she dreaded a marriage with a Hun. But it wouldn't be the first time a Hun married outside of their race.

"When do we leave for Pannonia?"

* * *

Gabrielle was running all over the entirety of the kingdom due to Kreka's demands, Ellac's and Xena's concerning the Roman army. While Xena was training the Romans how to attack Boareks' army, Gabrielle was mainly confined to the Adame fulfilling everyone's wishes. She was starting to think that making herself the officer of the imperial Roman army was a huge mistake.

She frantically ran out of the queen's quarters after finishing a meeting with Kreka and was stopped by the Banat sisters and knew this was going to take awhile. She had to get Kreka's demands out to Xena before the end of the day and she didn't really have much time for Farah or Rabia right now.

Rabia smiled at the frazzled governor. "Farah has completed the plans that Xena wanted."

"Oh good," Gabrielle reached for the large parchment. "I will take it to the yurt and have her look it over."

"We have a few questions."

Gabrielle frowned and Farah stepped forward with the large rolled up parchment. "I drew out the plans just like Xena asked but I have never seen a machine like this before. I think it will take awhile to build at least one. I would like to be in charge of the construction."

The governor stared at the Czarinas and held the stack of papers close to her chest. "Um, I will have to ask Xena if that's alright. I don't think Csaba would want you out in the field. In fact, I think he would forbid it." She hoped that would satiate the girl for now. "Anastasia doesn't want you anywhere near the field either so I guess I'll just take that off your hands…" she tried to snag the parchment but Farah stepped backward.

"I want to go over the plans with Xena by myself so just let me know when she is finished training and I will come by your yurt."

Gabrielle grumbled. "Sure I will let her know…"

Anastasia scurried down the stairs and ran after Gabrielle right before she was about to leave. "Gabrielle, wait!" she called and the blonde let out a loud groan so everyone could hear. "Did you get the paperwork for Farah? The ones about Banat."

"Yes, Anastasia I got the paperwork. I will go over it later. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do." She trailed outside. "And die in the process…" the muttered under her breath and lazily walked down the never ending stairs.

Ana sighed and felt useless while Kreka was in charge. Everyone seemed super busy except for her. She spun around and gave Farah a big smile. The Czarina handed off the parchment to Rabia and tried to seem less nervous in front of her husband's mother.

" _Tatli_   _kiz_ , how do you feel?" she grabbed Farah's hands and scanned her body which was dressed very elegantly in a black dress that Rabia made. "Look at you!" she placed her hands on Farah's belly and smiled widely. "You can ask me for help anytime you want."

Farah felt anxious and looked at her elder sister. "Thank you that is very nice of you."

"My son has been good to you, right? You can tell me if he hasn't. I will talk to him."

She interrupted the talkative queen and fixed her long hair over her shoulder. "He's been very nice as always but he's…"

"What?" Anastasia placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Did he do something to you?"

"No, not really. I mean, he's a little overprotective of me. He didn't even want me to finish the plans I was making for the commander –I mean for Xena, I mean…your mother," she said awkwardly.

Ana's eyes widened. " _My_  mother asked you to do something for her?"

"Yes and I finished the plans for the machines. Would you like to see?"

"No….that's alright. Don't let my mother boss you around, Farah. She can be very demanding."

Farah tipped her head to the side. "She was very nice to me! She's always nice to me."

"I'm sure she is." She cupped the girl's cheek. "Let me know if you need anything." She smiled and the moment she turned around her smile turned into a horrid frown.

"Oh, your highness," Farah called and Ana turned back around. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me and my sister. I am forever grateful for allowing us to stay in your home."

"Of course. I'm sure you will be pleased once you can return to Banat and be the queen of your people." She said and both Czarinas' jaws dropped. "I made you and Csaba the rulers of Banat. Gabrielle will finalize everything but you are a queen now." She smiled one last time and left the Adame.

Rabia put a hand over her heart and inhaled sharply. "Farah, not only are you the princess of the Huns but a queen of our own people."

"I think I'm going to be sick." Farah wrapped a hand over her stomach and Rabia grabbed her shoulders.

* * *

Xena was teaching the Romans and recruits how to attack the Sabir army. She told them they were going to use catapults and other weapons as well but wanted to wait to talk to Farah first before she mentioned the cannons. Today she began teaching the recruits how to properly use the trebuchets and stood behind a very nervous boy and taught him how to load the machine.

"No, not like that or you'll whack yourself in the face." She advised and he loaded it further back. "Now this is usually on fire, but for safety we are not using flaming bombs. So just pull back and release." She smacked the boy's back and he released the catapult and her eyes widened at the launch of the bomb right in the center of a Roman group.

Anastasia walked up and gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth. The Romans ran out of the way right before the bomb hit the ground. Xena laughed and turned to see her infuriated daughter. A recruit saw the queen and shouted.

"Queen app –"

"Shut up, boy!" Ana snapped in his face and he bowed his head then took a few steps back. "Mother can I have a word with you before you blow up the entire army?"

"Sure, Ana." She pat the boy on the shoulder, "Next time, pull back further so you don't injury any Romans. I'm renting them." She joked and walked over to her daughter. "Yes?"

Anastasia rubbed her forehead and placed her hands on her hips. "Why are you asking Farah to make "plans" for you? What does that even mean? What plans? What did I miss while I was out of commission?"

"They're plans for a cannon."

"Mom, what the hell is a cannon?"

"The machines that Boareks uses in her army. If we have some then we can defeat her army when she decides to attack. I have everything planned out. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it." She pinched Ana's cheek. "You've solved your opium problem?"

"I do not have a problem. I never had a problem to begin with. I was just stressed out!"

Xena ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "I know. I was worried about you. If you ever get too stressed out you can take a step back. You have a lot on your plate. I don't want you to be stressed out."

"Thanks. I'll try not to lose myself again."

"I'm glad you're feeling better now, so why don't you go be a grandmother and tend to Farah and leave me to finish the catapult training." She began pushing her daughter away from the field.

Ana frowned and swatted her mother's hands away. "Mother I would appreciate it if you wouldn't call me that."

"Oh? But that's what you are,  _grandma_."

"Yeah? Well you're going to be a great grandmother."

Xena frowned. "Fine. I deserved that. Now leave." She pointed to the Adame. "And tell Gabrielle that I want the plans in the yurt. I will look over it when I'm finished with these idiots."

"Sure. I'll just be the messenger. Not like I have anything to do anyway!" she groaned and stomped off.

"Thank you, Anastasia!" she waved and then turned around to see one of the boys loading up the catapult incorrectly again. "What did I say?! Pull back further!" she yelled.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – _The Gokturk Alliance Part II_

As Farah explained how the cannon operated and all of the mechanics behind the ballistic weapon, Xena and Gabrielle were caught in a daze of confusion. Both were befuddled as the young Czarina continued to explain the inner workings of the machine and didn't stop so they could ask questions. It was as if she were on a high.

Xena always thought she was pretty intelligent especially when it came to accuracy and how to man the weapons and of course the soldiers. She wasn't gifted in science or math like others were but she knew how to do plenty of other trades. Gabrielle, too, thought she was talented in history, philosophy, writing and problem solving skills second to Xena. But as they listened to Farah spout off in a mathematical language that neither of them could understand, they felt subpar to the girl and even stupid.

Farah lifted her head once she finished her spiel about the cannon and saw the dumbfounded expressions on both of their faces. Slightly embarrassed she decided to explain in simpler terms, knowing that she may have gotten a bit out of hand. She remembered Rabia chastising her throughout their lives over the amount of information she said to people concerning math and science.

"So basically, you load the cannon's muzzle and then you ignite the fuse and it should fire accordingly." She smiled and both of them kept staring at her with bemused eyes. She sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I bored you both to death, haven't I?"

Xena nudged Gabrielle out of her daze and they finally smiled forcefully at the girl. "I don't really care about the science behind the cannon. I just want to know if it will work and how to use it." The commander told her. "But your…explanation was very informative. Right, Gabrielle?"

"Oh um, yes very informative." The governor stood and walked over to grab tea from the kitchenette area within the yurt. "Farah, have you thought of being a teacher? You're very smart."

"That would be great! I love teaching math and science." She laced her fingers together and already started forming lesson plans in her head.

Xena frowned and snapped her fingers in front of the girl's face to focus. "How long will it take to build one of these?"

Farah looked at her print of the cannon pensively and muttered to herself. "Well, if you have a team of ten men, maybe a month at least."

"A month!" Xena was outraged. "I don't have that kind of time. My men can build three catapults in a week. Why should this be any different?"

The Czarina sank down and felt incredibly small sitting across from the angry commander. "I…I mean, commander," she started and Xena raised her eyebrow, "I mean  _Xena_ …this is not a catapult. It has more parts and is made of iron or bronze, not wood. The Sabirs probably took a year to build their cannons. How many do they have?"

Gabrielle walked over with a tray of tea and sat on her knees. "In Banat, she had four of them and they did a lot of damage."

"Four," Farah hummed and rubbed her chin. "They must have a group of engineers to handle the construction. I can be on the team and we can recruit men from your army to help."

"You want to be head of construction?" Xena asks with a grin and then lets out a loud laugh. Farah frowns sadly and felt even smaller than she did earlier. "I would never let you on the field! My daughter would paint me black and blue. Besides, you need permission from Gabrielle and Kreka. And Gabrielle will so say  _no_ , right?" she glared at the blonde.

Farah put on her best pleading face and clamped her hands together, giving Gabrielle a puppy dog look. The governor nervously looked at the commander's stern face and Farah's sweet face. "Uh…" she set down the tea to resist from dropping it. "Xena's right. You can't be in the field."

Xena grinned and Farah slapped her thigh irritably. "I promise I won't get in the way. I'm the only one who knows how the cannons operate." She snapped her fingers. "Kutilzis can help. He can be in the field in my place. I will relay the information to him and he can stand in my place." She hoped both of them would agree to that at least. "Please?"

"Fine." Xena said. "You may go now. Tell Anastasia to let Kutilzis to help you."

Gabrielle interjected, "Anastasia isn't in charge right now. You need to tell Kreka."

Farah's heart sank. "Kreka Khatun?" she repeated and swallowed. "She scares me. Can't I speak with the king instead?"

"Ellac isn't in charge of ballistic weapons. That's Kreka's department, which is actually Anastasia's…" she said with disappointment, frustrated that Ellac wouldn't give his wife her role as queen back to her. "I know this must be very confusing for you with all of these royals in charge. Ernak is in charge of invasion control, Dengizich is in charge of border control and Ebnedzar controls the spy division. I am in charge of mandating all of the rules for them and pass laws for Anastasia and Ellac. And Xena…she's in charge of the army and interrogation."

Xena's eyes grew in excitement and Farah's mouth pursed. "So what is Kreka in charge of then?"

"Sewing dresses and bossing people around," the commander joked and Gabrielle punched her arm. Farah's face contorted and Xena cleared her throat. "Kreka is the queen mother. She is the most important person here aside from my daughter and Ellac. Everything that Gabrielle is assigned to by my daughter or Ellac, must go through Kreka to be approved. She's not that scary,  _tatli_   _kiz_. I'm sure Gabrielle would  _love_  to come with you to talk to her, wouldn't you?" she wrapped an arm around her consort and the governor growled.

" _Yeah_ …I would be happy to," Gabrielle says through gritted teeth and a forced grin. "I'll go with you tomorrow morning."

When Farah left the yurt Gabrielle had a slapping fit and hit Xena several times in the arm and jabbed a fist to her ribs. Xena fell onto her side and grabbed the flying hands of her partner. Gabrielle lay on top of her, breathing heavily.

"You did that on purpose! You know I don't want to deal with Kreka! I've been avoiding her for days!"

"I just really want those cannons, Gabrielle. This is important. You should sacrifice yourself for the greater good." She said in a teasing voice. "Have I told you how much I appreciate you?"

Gabrielle lowered her face. "Not going to work this time, Xena." She slid off her and poured sugar cubes into the tea. Xena sat up and ruffled her hair and frowned weakly at the upset blonde.

She got off the floor and disappeared into their bedroom. Gabrielle eyed her curiously but tried not to pry like she cared and stirred the sugar until it dissolved. Xena appeared again and sat down in front of her. It was apparent that she was hiding something behind her back.

"Close your eyes." Xena instructed with mirth in her eyes.

The governor raised a suspicious eyebrow. "If that's a fish I swear to god."

"Just close your eyes and hold out your hands. You trust me?"

Gabrielle sighed and closed her eyes and held out her hands, still a bit apprehensive what was going to be given to her. She felt something lightweight drop into her arms and she opened one of her eyes, skeptical of the gift. Now that she knew it wasn't one of Xena's dirty tricks, she opened her other eye and gazed at the gold headdress.

She beamed and studied all of the fine details on the top of the headpiece and touched the long golden and green veil attached to it. She looked over at Xena's shy face and let out a small chuckle. "You…made me a…kozak?" she questioned confusedly.

"It's not just any kozak," she anxiously tapped her fingers on her knees, waiting for Gabrielle to catch on. "It's a wedding kozak," she finally blurted out.

Gabrielle paused and slowly lifted her eyes and stared at Xena's serene smile and warm blue eyes.

"Surprise!" she cheers nervously. "I was going to wait but I figured I put you through enough torture." The anticipation was killing her and now she suddenly felt stupid for giving Gabrielle the kozak and what a horrible time to be a silent woman, she thought of her partner. "Do…you like it?"

Gabrielle gazed at the headdress in her hands and smiled. She then leapt forward and planted a firm kiss on the commander which Xena nearly fell backwards onto the pillows. She pulled away and put the kozak on top of her head and couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"Xena, I don't know what to say." She admired the veil and the commander's face paled. Gabrielle saw that look and couldn't help but laugh. "I mean, I love it." She saw relief on her face. "Are you asking me to marry you, commander?" she playfully asked. "I thought you don't believe in marriage."

She shrugged a shoulder. "Just wanted to make sure you had the guts to stick around with someone like me." She made a joke out of the situation and Gabrielle scoffed and couldn't stop ogling the kozak. "So…?" her nerves riddled throughout her body and felt her stomach knot.

Gabrielle didn't remember the last time she had ever seen her so vulnerable before and she wasn't brave enough to say it was sweet. She'd definitely get smacked if she let something like that slip to the fearsome commander of the Huns.

"Yes, of course! You don't need to ask me twice!" she touched the veil and cocked her head at the relieved brunette. "How did you sew this without me knowing?"

"I had help from Kreka. Don't you dare say anything!" she pointed a finger and saw the mischievous look in her eyes.

Gabrielle scooted away and eyed the exit. "I don't even get to thank her for her hard work?" she slyly said and Xena grabbed her leg and pulled her close.

"I will cut you," she warned.

"Wow, is that any way to talk to me after you just asked for my hand in marriage?" she teased.

"Gabrielle, I mean it. Don't say anything. I don't want anyone else to know."

Gabrielle smirked. "Are you embarrassed of me?"

"No. I just want Boareks' head on my mantle and then we can celebrate."

"Xena!" she cringed in disgust and slapped her chest a little harder than she planned to. "That is revolting."

* * *

Navaz rode into Pannonia with what was left of his army and people. He was taken aback when he saw Romans mingling with Huns and he cast them a strange look. Yeter's horse was connected to his as he did not trust her to ride on her own. After he sent his soldiers on a death mission to get Boareks, he knew that they wouldn't be returning since she and her son had control of Balaam. Most likely, his men were dead by now or being held as prisoner.

He grabbed the rope and pulled Yeter's horse close to his as they made their way towards the Adame. Upon arrival, the traditional drums sounded throughout the entire encampment and the first person he saw emerge from the palace was his daughter, Arielle and wife, Fairuza with his son, Soran.

"You will be asked to wait outside while I speak with the king and queen." he told her.

She looked through the dark veil shielding her face and felt the judgment upon her already. Deep down she knew that her husband was dead and he wasn't going to come and save her. Her marriage was never out of love but he was at least nice to her. She had a feeling that this Hun named Oran, wasn't going to be thrilled once Navaz proposed the idea of a marriage alliance.

"You will most likely be interrogated by Xena." He whispered and smiled at his daughter, watching her charge right for him, running across the field. "Do not give her mouth or she will hurt you."

The Gokturk queen's mouth turned sour. "I suppose there is not a way for me to not be interrogated by her?"

"Be on your best behavior and  _maybe_  Ellac won't hand you over to her," he warned and was helped off the horse and bent down on one knee, stretching his arms outward, ready for the painful embrace. Arielle crashed into him and wrapped her lanky long legs around his waist and he bit his tongue.

"I missed you!" she didn't take her arms off of him and he stood up with her attached to him like a snake. She pulled away with a great big smile and he kissed her forehead. "You're hurt," she noticed the cuts on his face and bandages that he tried to hide beneath his leather black vest. "Who did this to you? Was it that Sabir woman?"

"Let's not talk about that right now. Where's your mother?" he pried her off and Soran hugged his legs and he ruffled his son's hair. Fairuza stayed at the Adame and he expected Anastasia to come out at any moment but when Kreka came out instead, he frowned. "Arielle, where is she?"

"Oh, she's in her room." She told him and she wagged her finger for him to lean down. She whispered, "She's trying to sew something for my brother's baby. Just between you and me she's not very good."

Navaz whipped his head to the Adame. "Csaba is having a baby?"

"Yeah with Farah! She is so gorgeous, father. She is really nice too, but she likes  _expensive_  things, mom says," she tapped her cheek. "Her wedding dress was really pretty. My grandma made it for her. Mother was supposed to make it but like I said, she's not a very good seamstress. Kreka says that mother should stick with swords and Fairuza is better at sewing than mother too. I mean, come on, even grandma is better! Can you believe it?"

"Arielle!" he interrupted her long speech and he smiled down at her eager face. "That's all  _very_  fascinating but I really need to talk to your mother. Could you go tell her I need to have a meeting with her?"

The princess skimmed her father's aching body and he tried to pay attention to his son but he could barely bend over as it is. "Are you sure you don't want to see a medic first?" she asked and he narrowed his thick eyebrows and she backed away, knowing that look all too well. "Okay, I'll go tell her!" she quickly ran away.

He was able to focus on Soran and knelt down gradually and pinched his son's chin. "How do you like Pannonia?"

The five year old shrugged his shoulder. "It's warmer here," he said with an almost grateful attitude. "Arielle's grandma is crazy," he whispered loudly and looked over at Xena who was walking up to the Adame alone and she looked their way and Soran waved at her and she briefly smiled then walked up the stairs in a hurry.

"She can be sometimes," Navaz snickered.

"I had a great time at Arielle's brother's wedding!" Soran clasped his father's hand and was incredibly jumpy. "Her brother is really, really nice and he's funny. I like Oran too and Farah and Cera. I don't like Talat and Toran. They tried to cut my hair!" he pointed to a piece of long hair that was cut in half. Navaz half smiled and then his son's eyes traveled up to the veiled Gokturk queen. "Who's that?"

He turned and Yeter turned her cheek away, hiding behind the opaque veil. "She's a guest."

Soran smiled. "Oh." He walked up to the queen and Yeter's eyes widened. "Hello."

Navaz grabbed his son and pushed him along. "Go back to the Adame with your mother."

Yeter raised her eyebrow and watched the White Hun struggle to stand on his own. "Your children are very kind," she said. "Are we going to the Adame ahead or not? It's very hot out here and I'm melting under this hot sun."

* * *

Oran walked up the Adame with a few guards escorting him. He met with his cousin and Farah standing outside talking to together. Csaba held up his hand and Farah raised her eyebrow and looked over at Oran.

"What's this? Escorts? Did you get in trouble again?" Csaba teased.

"I didn't do shit." Oran said and smiled at Farah. "Good afternoon, Farah." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes. "I was requested to meet with your parents."

"Good luck," Csaba slapped his cousin on the back. Oran trailed up the stairs, following after the guards and Csaba turned to his annoyed wife. "We can go inside if it's too hot for you," he suggested.

She shook her head. "I'm alright. I'm supposed to make sure that the men are constructing the cannon properly. Kutilzis has been very helpful and he's very nice. He is nothing like his mother."

Csaba sighed. "Yeah, I suppose not. Do you need water?"

"Csaba, I'm fine." She quickly said and he waited patiently by her side. She knew he wasn't going to leave her. "Water would be nice," she changed her mind and he kissed her forehead then walked over to the well in the center of the encampment. She glanced at Kutilzis instructing the men how to build the machine and she spotted the veiled Gokturk woman gawking at Csaba as he passed by her. Farah was unable to see the woman's face hidden behind the veil but it was obvious she was staring at Csaba.

She looked over at him and he was completely oblivious and carried a wine skin of water back with him. Her eyes darted to the veiled woman who followed every step he took and she wasn't doing anything to hide her curiosity either.

He returned with the water and she frowned at the veiled Gokturk, not knowing who she was but it appeared she was important since she was surrounded by Navaz's men. Csaba tried to hand her the wine skin and she turned her attention towards him and smiled faintly.

"You know what, I'm feeling very tired all of a sudden. Perhaps we could go inside for awhile?" she offered.

"Sure, I'll tell Kutilzis." He tried to walk away and she grabbed his hand.

"No, I want you to take me inside. You can tell him after we go in," She said and glanced over at the gawking woman. Csaba nodded and hooked arms with her and she lifted her long dress and both made their way up the stairs. Farah frowned at the woman whose eyes followed them intensely.

* * *

Xena sat on the floor in the conference room and fiddled with the strings coming out of the rug. Gabrielle had her writing pad ready and looked over at Xena who seemed bored out of her mind. "Why do I have to be here?"

Kreka frowned. "Because you are the commander and this meeting concerns the Gokturks." She stated and Oran walked into the room. Ebnedzar and Ursula turned around and made a spot for their son. Navaz looked at the nervous young man and Oran bowed to Kreka and sat down in between his mother and father, anxiously looking at the circle of people around him.

Ellac and Ana sat together and stared at Oran which made him feel very nervous. "What's going on?" he immediately asked.

Navaz took in a deep inhale and began, "I have allied with the Gokturk Queen. She is willing to work with us but she is indebted to me." He said and Gabrielle jotted down everything he said and Xena leaned back on the pillows, lounging. "She betrayed Boareks and I offered her a deal. Unfortunately, the only way I was able to convince her to ally with me was…that I would promise a marriage alliance."

Xena sat up and now knew this meeting was about to get interesting. Kreka waved her hand to allow him to continue and Xena's eyes darted to Ursula who was starting to sweat, knowing what the White Hun king was about to suggest. She smiled and looked directly at Navaz, waiting for him to spit the news out.

He added, "I offered Oran's hand to Queen Yeter."

Oran's jaw dropped and he jumped off the floor. "You are mad!" he yelled at the king.

"Sit down!" Ebnedzar ordered and Oran sat back down at his father's command.

"It will be better for us if we ally with the Gokturks. We could have a bigger empire and finally be friends with them." Navaz said and Ursula wiped her sweat filled forehead. "Her husband is most likely dead. She is young, maybe a year older than Oran." He eyed the infuriated Hun boy sitting across from him.

Ebnedzar looked around the circle and Anastasia buried her face in her hands and Ellac had a pensive look on his face as he rubbed his beard. "What do we get if I give my son to her?" he asked.

"Father!" Oran protested.

"Her entire army will belong to you."

Xena's smile grew. "You should take the deal, Oran. You would become a Khan and have higher status than your parents and I will control the army if you wish it of course…"

Gabrielle sighed and dipped the quill in the ink pad and wrote down Xena's dialogue regrettably.

"It would be nice to be friendly with the Gokturks since Attila pushed them out of Pannonia," Xena adds. Ebnedzar eyed her and then looked at Navaz and nodded, agreeing to the arrangement.

Oran gasped and ran his hands over his hair which was coiled into a messy bun. "This is insane. I do not even know what she looks like! Is she here?"

Navaz nodded. "She's outside the Adame. She is attractive –"

Oran jumped up and stormed out of the room without being dismissed. Xena leaned back on the pillows and looked at her fingernails. "Well, this has been a very eventful month so far. I train the Romans, Farah's busy overseeing the construction for the cannons, and I get the Gokturk army."

* * *

Oran stood at the top of the staircase outside the Adame and stared at the veiled woman waiting with Navaz's guards. "Queen Yeter!" he yelled and she turned around at the sound of her name. He ran down the stairs and then stood in front of her, trying to see through the dark veil that hid all of her features.

Yeter's eyes widened and she looked at his chiseled jaw lined with a clean cut short beard. He had blue lined tattoos underneath his right eye and a nose piercing as well as two piercings on his left eyebrow. His dark hair was wrapped in a very messy bun and she stared at the tattoos on his bare muscular slender frame.

"Take the veil off," he ordered.

She lifted the veil off and placed it over her black and red headdress. He studied her brown doe eyes and very fair skin. She had plump limps and dark thick perfectly etched eyebrows to match her high cheekbones and big eyes. He raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, continuing to study her. She was definitely not hideous to look at but she was not super gorgeous like Farah, but she wasn't exactly plain either.

"Trying to figure out if I am pleasing to you or not?" she finally spoke, knowing exactly what he was doing.

His cheeks reddened. "Yes," he answered honestly and she smiled. "My father agreed to the marriage alliance." He said simply and she lifted her chin, staring into his dark eyes. "You belong to me now and you will no longer live under your customs anymore. You live under Hun customs now. Do you understand?" he said and she nodded, complying with his rules.

"I did not know the prince was with the Banat girl," she mentioned slyly, fishing for information.

"They were married not too long ago."

"Very fascinating. I see she is carrying a child as well." She definitely remembered Farah when she and Csaba were captured by Boareks. She also took note that she was being glared at by the Czarina awhile earlier.

Oran frowned and lends a hand to her. "I must bring you inside to meet my parents and the king and queen."

"Perhaps you could give me a tour of the Adame afterwards?" she took his hand willingly.

* * *

Xena spread a map out on the table and pointed to Kazakhstan. "How are we going to get the rest of Yeter's men over here?" she asked Kreka and saw Anastasia was itching to give her input. Ellac stood off the side and felt his wife's anxiety heighten.

"Go ahead," he smiled at her.

Anastasia breathed out a heavy exhale and approached the table. "Navaz said that Emperor Liu's men attacked Boareks' and Yeter's army. Malka sent men after them but obviously, they were unable to catch them. Most likely Yeter's army is being taken hostage or they're all dead. She must have the rest of her men stashed somewhere else."

"Somewhere like China," Gabrielle said. "Csaba said that Yeter and her husband were prisoners of China at one point. The rest of the Gokturks are probably in the desert outside of the imperial city, lurking."

Xena grinned and placed a hand over hers. Anastasia noticed her mother was being very cozy with the governor, more than usual, but took Gabrielle's words into consideration. "We should write the Emperor again and ask if they can find the Gokturk army. We will tell them that Yeter has allied with us."

"No offense but," the commander stared at her daughter, "Yeter should not be trusted. Now that she is going to marry Oran, she is inside our home. We don't know if she is planning something or not. I should interrogate her."

Anastasia sighed deeply. "No, you are not going to interrogate her."

"Why not? It's my job and she's new here. She also was working with Boareks. I can get information out of her."

"We already know where Boareks is. She's in Balaam with her son. They are planning out our doom. Yeter has nothing now and she is indebted to all of us."

"So, no interrogation?"

"Mother!"

"What? Ana this is my job and I don't trust a Gokturk as far as I could throw one. I don't care if she is going to be a part of our family, she can't be trusted. She is not from here."

Gabrielle slipped her hand away from beneath Xena's and said, "Farah and Rabia are not Huns either and everything worked out just fine. Well, except for the Czar…"

"Only because Csaba got her pregnant. If that never happened then Farah and Rabia would be back in Banat, living in poverty because of Boareks." Xena sat down in a chair and drummed her fingers on the armrest. "Boareks is the problem here and so was Yeter. I want to interrogate her."

"I said no," her daughter repeated.

"I don't need  _your_  permission." Xena looked up at the governor.

Anastasia folded her arms and glared at the blonde. "Say no, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle was now caught in between the two, just like usual and she knew if she said no, she was going to get a lecture from Xena later but if she said yes then Ana would be upset. Nobody wins here. "Uh, I think we should take a vote."

"This isn't Greece. Deny her request, Gabrielle!"

"Well…" she looked down at Xena whose face turned into a vicious frown. "She is the commander and she is authorized to interrogate anyone that she feels is a potential threat to the empire." She tried to stick with the rules and Anastasia rolled her eyes.

Xena slapped her hand on the table. "So, it's settled. I will interrogate Yeter and you get Farah to write another letter to the emperor. I promise I won't hurt her if she complies. I'll make sure Oran has a pretty bride. Seem fair?"

"Whatever. You're going to do what you want anyway. I'm not going to stop you." Ana waved her hand and Ellac snickered. "Shut up." She elbowed him in the ribs and he grunted.

Gabrielle sat down and huffed. "You shouldn't have made me choose sides," she grumbled to Xena.

"You made the right choice."

* * *

A few days after Navaz arrived; Yeter remained in close proximity to Oran and his parents. She liked his parents and his mother was very kind to her. She didn't feel the same when she was around Anastasia or any other queen here either. She also caught the commander staring at her from time to time but ignored her.

She walked on the second floor of the Adame and came to the long porch that wrapped around the wooden palace. She smiled, finding Farah sitting by herself, writing on a bench, looking over the railing. Farah lifted her head and saw Csaba below with Kutilzis and he smiled up at her and she waved at him.

Yeter raised her eyebrow and approached the lonesome Czarina. "What are you working on?"

Farah gasped and looked around, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. She frowned up at the Gokturk queen and paid no attention to her and closed her journal and got off the bench. Yeter blocked her way and Farah looked at the double doors which lead into the queen's quarters. They were probably guarded on the inside and she stared at Csaba who had his back turned, talking to the Sabir boy.

"I just want to talk to you." Yeter said in a nice tone.

"Do not think that I do not remember you." Farah eyed the queen's dark brown eyes and a smile graces her fair skinned face.

"That was a thing of the past. I am no longer allies with the Sabir queen." her eyes drifted to the Czarina's round abdomen. "When are you due?" she curiously asked.

Farah held her tongue and looked into the dark eyes in very close proximity to her. She felt very nervous and anxious around the Gokturk woman and looked at the queen's doors, trying to plan an escape. She also wished that she would have taken up swordsmanship or at least combat skills. She was sure that Arielle could take her.

"Winter…" she answered and Yeter smiled softly but it was not a warm smile. "Excuse me, but I have to go tend to something." She tried to leave and Yeter grabbed her arm.

"Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

Farah's heart raced but she tried to hide her nervousness. "No, that's alright." She walked across the long porch.

"Let me know if I can help you with anything." Yeter called out and Farah paused for a moment and then rounded the corner.

* * *

Farah was on the first floor now and looked behind her, paranoid that she was being followed by the Gokturk woman. She bumped into someone and dropped her journal. Tuya turned around and Farah's eyes widened at the White queen.

"I'm so sorry," Farah apologized and bent down to pick up the journal and quickly stood up and tried to leave but Tuya grabbed her arm.

"You are in such a hurry, girl." Tuya examined the Czarina and saw her cheeks were pale and her eyes wide like a deer. "Is something wrong?"

Farah breathed heavily and shook her head furiously. "No, no. Have you seen the commander –I mean Xena?"

"She is in her yurt sleeping. She had a late shift last night in the field." She looked into the girl's big frantic green eyes. "Are you sure nothing is wrong? Should I get Anastasia for you?"

"No, that's okay." She thanked the queen mother and went on about her way and halted in the middle of the large corridor then turned. "Actually, could you send someone to tell Xena to come to my room when she wakes up?"

Tuya raised her eyebrow. "May I ask why?"

"I just want to talk to her."

"Of course,  _tatli_   _kiz_. I will send someone as soon as I hear that she is awake." She decided not to question the frazzled Czarina more.

Anastasia walked down the stairs in a very good mood. Ellac had finally given her role back and she was heading outside to spend time with Navaz and Arielle. She never had moments with all three of them together. She could count on her hand how many times the trio was able to spend time together. She hurried down the stairs and Tuya walked towards her and she frowned. Now her good mood was slightly ruined and she was tempted to go back upstairs to hide for awhile.

"Anastasia, I need to talk to you." Tuya wagged her finger and the queen grumbled and was in no hurry trailing down the staircase now.

"Is this urgent? I am on my way to see Navaz and Arielle. They are waiting for me."

The queen mother nodded and pushed that matter aside. "Farah ran into me and seemed very uneasy. She asked me to get Xena for her."

"Really? Is she alright?"

"I cannot say for sure but she was in a hurry."

As much as Ana wanted to spend time with her family she felt obligated to check on her son's wife. "I should go see her."

Tuya grabbed her arm. "She specifically asked for your mother."

"She is very popular these days. I will go wake her up myself."

* * *

Gabrielle was busy going over the paperwork that Anastasia assigned her for Csaba and Farah. So far she looked over the four pages to make sure there was nothing at fault for either party. She did find a few spelling mistakes and made the corrections. It was very clear that when Anastasia wrote this declaration that she was very specific as to what her son inherited and what Farah would be given as well as Rabia. It was unusual to have three people in one contract which is why it was so lengthy.

She sighed and turned to the third page and Ana entered the yurt. "Anastasia," she greeted. "I was just finishing the declaration. I will have it finished by tomorrow morning for sure. I just have to make a few adjustments." She said. "How much of the treasury will Csaba and Farah receive?"

"One third," the queen answered and walked over Gabrielle and peered into the bedroom at her mother who was sleeping soundly.

Gabrielle turned and set down the quill pen. "She was up until dawn. I wouldn't go in there if I were you."

Anastasia walked in, ignoring her aunt's wishes and shook her mother's shoulder. "Mother, I need you."

Xena groaned and shrugged the hand off her shoulder. "Anastasia, I was up all night. Go away."

"I'm not here for my own selfish needs. Farah requested to see you."

"Obviously I am sleeping at the moment," she muttered. "Why can't you handle it by yourself?"

Ana sighed. "Because she didn't ask for me. She wants you so please get up."

Xena's eyes shot open and now she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep. She rolled over onto her back and her daughter loomed over the bed. "Do I have to do everything around here?"

* * *

Farah sat on the bed by herself and wrapped a hand over the restless child inside her. She sighed and the doors opened and in walked Xena and Anastasia. She smiled, pleased to see them both. Xena had circles under her eyes and she was dressed in her pants and blouse, void of the black corset.

"This better be good, child. I was woken up." The commander folded her arms.

The Czarina's mouth parted and looked at the queen. "Oh, well…I requested you but I didn't want you to be woken up…"

"Too late. What do you need?"

Here goes nothing, Farah thought. She took in a deep breath and spat out, "I was cornered by Yeter earlier. She wouldn't let me pass. And when she first arrived here, she kept staring at me and Csaba, but more at him than me. I don't want her to do anything to me or my baby."

Xena pinched the bridge of her nose. "I was supposed to interrogate her tomorrow morning but I suppose now is a good time."

"Interrogate her?" Farah alleged. "Can't you arrest her or something?"

"I can't arrest her for talking to you, Farah." She saw the disappointment on her face and felt a nudge from her daughter. "I'll go find her. Ana stay here with her."

"But I was supposed to meet with Arielle and Navaz."

Xena pinched her daughter's cheeks. "You woke me up. You can have your little play date later. You're going to stay here and ease her mind."

Anastasia rubbed her face and sat down on the bed, smiling at Farah and caressed her hand. The Czarina heard the commander unsheathe her sword from outside the room and quirked her mouth. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"You didn't do anything wrong. My mother doesn't like to be woken up. Don't worry she will talk to Yeter and you won't be bothered by her again."

"Are you sure? She was staring at me like she wanted something from me."

"I promise I won't let anything happen to you."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 – _The Last Straw_

Yeter glared up at the commander with fiery eyes as she was strapped to the chair inside the armory. She stared at all of the weapons that were laid out on the table and more were on wracks across the room. The commander walked around, holding two swords in her hands, waiting patiently. The Gokturk raised her eyebrow and refused to talk for the last hour.

"I'm sure you know how this works," spoke Xena in a calm voice. "Either I torture you until you talk or we can have a pleasant conversation, just the two of us. Which is it going to be?"

The queen certainly didn't want to be pummeled in the face or on any part of her body. She inhaled deeply and the ropes around her chest tightened, constricting her lungs. "I haven't done anything wrong. I betrayed Boareks. Ask the White Hun king. He was there."

"I know what you did but I don't trust you." She walked closer and stabbed one of the swords on one side of Yeter's thigh. "Why did you betray Boareks? What is your motive?"

"She doesn't care about me."

Xena smiled. "She doesn't even care about her own children. Why would she give a damn about you?" a wave of embarrassment crossed the Gokturk's face and the commander bowed her head slightly. "I don't know much about you Gokturks but I do know you are extremely violent. I have been doing this for a very long time and had nothing but problems from your people. You're very young, which means there must have been a queen before you…?" she hinted.

Yeter shook her head. "I am the first queen…" she tells her the truth and watches the Hun commander gawk at her with confusion. "Our tribes were not united. My husband decided to unite them all and he claimed himself as the Khan and me as his queen."

It was as if she was comparing Attila's forefathers building the Hun Empire from the ground up. The Gokturks wanted to do the same. They wanted all of the tribes united under one person but they failed to execute that until recently. Even then, they made a horrible mistake allying themselves with the Sabir Queen and her band of sons and army. Xena could see that the young queen was very naïve and didn't know how to rule an entire nation and now at least half of her army was gone because of Boareks. That woman would be the death of everyone, she deduced.

"Why did you ally with the Sabirs? They bring nothing but pain."

That was an easy answer. Yeter frowned deeply and leaned forward as far as she could and Xena didn't budge. Now the two were inches apart and blue eyes met brown. "I allied with her because I hate Huns just like her."

"You don't have to hate us and now you can't. You are going to marry one of Attila's grandsons. You can hate us all you want but now you're stuck with us and there's nothing you can do about it." She smiles deviously. "We are tolerant of all people, sometimes even to the ones that we hate. You're going to be seeing us for quite a long time so I'd suggest you behave yourself. I promised my daughter I wouldn't hurt you if you comply and you are doing a very nice job so far. Keep it up." She paddled Yeter's cheek and winked.

She added, "Now, about Farah."

Yeter's face paled. "What about her?"

"Why were you talking to her? I didn't forget that you were conspiring with Boareks when she captured my grandson and his wife months ago. You were there. I saw you leave with her." She slammed her palms on the chair's arms and Yeter's mouth parted in fear. "If you harm her I will hand you over to my daughter and she can be worse than me," she didn't like the sound of that, but unfortunately it was true.

Yeter's face remained unreadable and she breathed calmly. "I did not hurt her. I was just talking to her."

"Let me tell you something." Xena knelt down and the Gokturk's breathing quickened. "I'm not afraid to kill you. I will do it in a split second by anyone's command. My daughter killed Boareks' oldest son after she tortured him for hours."

She saw her eyes widen in surprise and that brought a malicious forth. "That's right. He's dead and Boareks isn't going to care if he's dead or not. She doesn't care about her children. She uses them for war just like she was using you. She's not a mother, she's a monster. Even her youngest son can see that and that's why he has asylum here." She explained and Yeter's big brown eyes grew more than Xena anticipated.

The two shared a silent moment together and Xena stood up and grabbed both of the blades and pointed one in the Gokturk's face.

"You have one choice. Become one with us or die. Boareks will come for you and don't think for a second that she will spare your life. She hates you just as much as she hates us. That black heart of hers doesn't beat." She lowered the blade. "And don't you ever go around Farah again without supervision or I will become your worst nightmare."

* * *

Farah sat with Csaba outside behind the Adame and she watched Anastasia, Navaz, Arielle, Fairuza and Soran sitting together in a circle, talking together as if it was just a regular day. She kept eyeing the back of the Adame and kept tearing grass out of the ground. Csaba noticed her nervousness and grabbed her wrist.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned for her.

She smiles weakly and drops the pieces of grass on the soil. "Yes, I'm just…not feeling well today." Which wasn't a lie. Ever since she had that odd encounter with Yeter, she didn't eat anything as the sight of food now disgusted her to no end which was not usually a problem anymore for her.

Before he could say how much he was worried about her, which she knew was coming; she directed his attention to his mother and sister. "So," she points over to the huddle, "your mother is still friends with her ex-husband and she is also friends with his current wife?" she cocks her head at the two women, talking casually. "And his wife does not have a problem with it?"

Csaba chuckled. "Fairuza is very nice and she is just as much of a parent to my sister as my mother is. Arielle has to follow her rules in Balaam so my mother often talks with Fairuza on a regular basis."

Farah rubs her chin. "How fascinating that they are not jealous of one another. His wife must be very patient."

"My mother wasn't married to Navaz for very long. They got divorced mutually so they are still good friends."

"And your father does not mind that his wife spends so much time with her ex-husband?" she inquired, finding that a bit strange.

He shrugged. "My parents grew up together. They know each other very well." He didn't want to get into telling the story of his parents for the millionth time. He never really discussed anything about his parents' lives with anyone, not even with Farah, because it bored him to death. "Are you sure I can't get you anything?"

"No, I'm fine, really." She pats his leg and turned around, looking for something to occupy herself. She saw Xena walk out of the armory, holding Yeter by the arm. She placed a hand over her chest and the Gokturk queen looked her way and sent a very nasty glare. She turned back around and scratched her neck anxiously and then tried to stand on her own.

Csaba pulled himself up and grabbed her hand to aid her. He gripped her shoulders and stared into her frantic green eyes. "Farah, what's wrong?"

"Can we go inside?" she grabbed his hand and marched over to the Adame, completely forgetting about their food left on the grass which went untouched by her anyway.

"Well, uh, okay but why? I thought you wanted to stay outside?"

"Can we just go?!" she snapped and he halted and she spun around. "Please?"

* * *

Gabrielle rubbed her temples and prepared herself to continue writing this declaration for Farah and Csaba. She didn't realize how many mistakes were in this document until about the fourth hour of working on it. She promised never to let Anastasia write a declaration alone again, at least not without supervision and certainly not one that was so lengthy.

She cracked her knuckles and took in a deep breath to calm herself and then heard a stack of papers drop in front of her. She opened her eyes and frowned at the papers and looked up at Leila. "What is this?"

"Oran's and Yeter's marriage papers. Ellac told me to give them to you," the princess said and the governor slapped her cheeks, staring at the large amount of work ahead of her. There was no way she was going to be able to leave this yurt. "He says he would like it done by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Gabrielle yelled. "There is no way I can finish Csaba and Farah's paperwork and Oran's and Yeter's by tomorrow! You tell the king he is out of his mind!" she spat and Leila bowed her head. "Sorry…" she sighed.

Leila pulled out a scroll of her own and handed it over to the overworked blonde. Gabrielle grabbed it and shook her head. More work, she thought. "I want to divorce Dengizich." She blurts out and Gabrielle's jaw dropped.

"Leila…are you sure you want to do this? You can't go back to Balaam. You'll be stuck here and you won't be able to live in the Adame anymore."

"He fucked a whore!" she screamed and Gabrielle flinched. She quickly composed herself and adjusted her headdress and cleared her throat. "Can you please the sign the paper?"

Gabrielle looked over the document and it wasn't signed by one of the most important people here. "I can't sign this." She handed the scroll back and the princess gasped.

"Why not?"

"Kreka needs to approve of the divorce."

"But Anastasia was able to divorce Navaz!"

Gabrielle nodded and felt that headache emerging again. "Yes but the papers were signed by Tuya." She was sure that the queen mother had no problem getting rid of Anastasia but she still had to approve of it. "You need to go to Kreka and have her sign it. When she does, come back and I will look over it."

Leila groaned. "She will never approve!"

"Leila," she sighed and set down the pen on the large sum of paperwork she was dreading. "Dengi said he was sorry and he feels really horrible about what he did." She saw the princess' eyes building up with the fire fuming inside her. "I'm not saying what he did was right, but he is really sorry. You should reconsider. If you divorce him you will have nothing to go back to."

"But I am free to do what I want. I have the right to divorce him if I wanted to."

"I know but you should talk to Kreka first and see what she says. Attila married two women without her approval. She knows firsthand what that feels like."

"Didn't she kill one of his wives?" Leila raised her eyebrow.

Gabrielle smiled faintly. "Yes, but not because she hated Attila. Listen, Kriemhild lost her mind and she…never mind. Anyway, just go talk to her. I have to finish this. I am going to be up all night doing this."

Leila stormed out of the yurt and Yeter watched her from afar. The curious Gokturk queen walked over to the frazzled princess and caught her off guard. "Princess," she said and Leila stopped muttering to herself. "Something troubling you?"

Ten years Yeter's senior, Leila felt old standing in front of the woman. At one point she was the youngest Hun woman living in the royal household but now that position belonged to Farah and soon to be this Gokturk queen. Leila frowned and studied the false concern of the woman. She felt immediate distrust.

"Just a personal matter that I am about to sort out. Excuse me," she brushed by the Gokturk and crushed the scroll in her hand.

Yeter's smile turned into a frown and she turned. "It must be very upsetting to be the only royal Hun woman without any children," she said and Leila stopped with her back turned to the queen. The bickering between the Hun prince and his wife did not go unnoticed by Yeter even with the short time she had been in Pannonia.

"In my culture, childless women are demoted and cast out of society. I wonder if the Huns treat their women the same way," she adds and Leila continued walking towards the Adame. She smirked and made her way to Oran's yurt across the field.

* * *

Boareks slapped her son across the face and then pushed him down to the ground inside the Adame that once belonged to the White Huns. He fell on a pile of rubble and she grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up a foot off the floor and glared into his dark eyes.

"I asked you to do one thing!" she yelled and sweat poured down his forehead and the nape of his neck. "You were supposed to kill the White Hun king yet you could not even do that!" she spat in his face and tossed him aside.

Iliger rubbed the back of his head and stood up slowly. "Mother, I attacked them like you asked."

"Yet the king lives! I saw him in Sevan!" she yells and whips out her sword, threatening to attack him. He backed away, weaponless and fearing for his life. "Why should I let you live? You disappointed me again, Iliger. You brought me the wrong queen and now you couldn't even kill the White Hun king!" she walked closer, holding the sword dangerously close to him. He sidestepped her and put his hands up for defense.

"Mother, there were a lot of men. I wounded the king. I thought I killed him. I didn't know he escaped to Sevan."

She growled and looked around at the foyer which half of it was destroyed from the cannon blasts. She raised her eyebrow and a gush of cool air entered the Adame and the torn curtains swayed gently in the wind.

"Where are Balmaq and Kutilzis?" she asked, now realizing that neither of her sons had come by to see her, specifically Balmaq, who had to report back to her about the Czar's assassination. "Balmaq should have been back by now. He killed the Czar."

He shook his head and watched the sword in his mother's hand. "He…he never came back."

Boareks clenched her teeth and she lowered the blade, which her son was grateful for. "And Kutilzis? I put you in charge of him. Tell me that you did not disappoint me  _again_ , Iliger."

He looked for an escape but knew he wasn't going to make it passed her with that sword glued to her side. "I –I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him. Perhaps he was killed by the Huns in Sevan?"

"You had one job!" she grabbed his arm and threw him against the wall and held the sword close to his throat. "You are worthless to me. You can't ever do anything right because you're too stupid to follow simple instructions!"

He felt the blade cutting into his skin and panicked. "Mother, please! I will do anything for you, you know that. How can I fix what I have done?" he pleaded for his life.

She grinned maliciously and retracted the blade. "Oh, look at you, begging for your life," she puckered her lips and pinched his cheek. "Seeing that your more competent siblings are not here, I suppose I can keep you for awhile longer." She sighs and let go of her son's throat. "You will do one more thing for me and if you fail  _this_  time, I will spill your blood and leave you for the dogs."

Iliger held a palm to his neck and felt the gash sting against his hand. "Yes mother…"

The Sabir queen wiped the blood on her black robes and smiled at her incompetent son. "Take the cannon brigade to Akitziri. Destroy their camp and leave nothing. You will attack the encampment at night so they will not see you in daylight. I want no one left alive. Do I make myself clear?"

He straightened himself up and nodded. "Yes, mother. I will not disappoint you."

"This attack rides on your life, Iliger. If I find anyone alive I will skin you." She sheathed the sword and walked out of the Adame, throwing her black veil over her hair.

* * *

More than a week later, Farah delved into her work and continued to supervise the construction of the cannon. A lot of the Hun men were not used to taking orders from a woman, unless it was Xena, but that was a different story. They also weren't accustomed to a woman being so killed in math and even though she wasn't in the field as often, per Xena's request, all of her orders went directly through Kutilzis, who translated the super detailed instructions that she gave. He knew that these men were never going to be able to understand notes like this and it was hard to convey the information without making them sound stupid.

These men built catapults for a living and collecting iron was more difficult than collecting wood for their machines. Farah rushed them to complete the cannon and finally had something that could be tested and if it worked, she hoped that it would, she could then oversee the construction of more machines later.

She summoned Xena, Anastasia and Ellac and others who wanted to watch the test in the middle of the day. Xena and Gabrielle stood behind her as she pointed to the center of the open field, which she requested be vacant for the test. The soldiers pushed the cannon to the top of the hill and their boots dug into the ground as they continued the uphill battle.

Xena grabbed the Czarina's shoulder. "Is this going to work?"

Farah nodded and flipped a page over, looking at the sketch of how the machine should fire accordingly. "Yes, if they built it correctly."

"And if they didn't?"

"Then it won't fire, but that can happen sometimes," she explains. "If this works then we should build the other cannons with bronze. Iron is too heavy and difficult to transport. As you can see they are having a tough time pushing it up the hill." She smiles and turns to see the frown on the commander's face. "I will…give the signal shortly…"

Xena walked back over to stand beside the governor and folded her arms. Gabrielle cocked her head and watched Farah point to the place where she wanted the cannon to go. "She seems to know what she is doing," comments the blonde. "She had those men working day and night to finish this. You should put a smile on your face!"

"I won't smile until I know that it works." Xena grumbled.

Anastasia walked over with Arielle, holding her hand and Ellac carried with one arm. Csaba ran up the hill, a bit out a breath and joined Farah by her side. Arielle's eyes gazed at the large cannon and she tried to run off but her mother pulled her back.

"I want to see!" Arielle said and tried to pry her mother's fingers off her wrist.

"You can see from here." Ana said sternly and the princess sighed heavily. "Mother, even if this does work, we will never be able to build enough cannons to use against Boareks and her army."

Xena waved her hand. "We have catapults and the Roman army at our disposal. Her cannons are her crutch. Sometimes, we only need one thing to crush someone in war," she smiles and pat her daughter's cheek.

Farah hurried over to the group and Csaba looked back at the soldiers, ready to ignite the machine. He ran back and stood beside her and Farah had a big smile on her face. "Okay, everyone cover your ears." She instructed and Gabrielle looked up at Xena nervously but put her hands over her ears anyway.

Ellac whispered to Cera, "cover your ears." And the princess grinned and put her hands over her ears and watched intensely. Anastasia covered Arielle's ears and waited patiently. Arielle frowned and tried to get her mother's hands off her.

Farah waved her hand at the soldiers and they lit the fuse then took off running down the hill and knelt down and plugged their ears. Csaba did not heed her instructions and folded his arms, glaring at the fire slowly traveling down the fuse. She covered her ears and nudged his elbow to do the same.

Everyone waited in anticipation and Farah's eyes were focused on the fuse that was burning quickly now. Her smile widened and Csaba looked over at her enthused expression and smirked. The cannon fired and Csaba fell back onto his rear from the loud explosion and Farah looked down at him, snickering under her breath. All of their eyes watched the ball soar into the air and then land in the center of the open field and land in the ground, causing another explosion.

Xena's jaw dropped and Gabrielle uncovered her ears. Arielle smiled and ran over to Farah. "That was awesome!" she cheered and the Czarina grinned, quite proud of herself. "Can we do it again?!"

"No!" Anastasia yelled. "We don't want anyone to know we have this. The test is enough."

Csaba stood up and rubbed his ears, feeling the ringing inside his head. "Mother's right, Arielle. This isn't a toy." Although, by the look on his grandmother's face, she definitely thought it was a new toy that she couldn't wait to get her hands on.

Farah hooked arms with him. "I told you to cover your ears."

Cera sobbed softly and kept rubbing the outside of her ears. Ellac brushed a red tendril away from her face and wiped a tear off her cheek. "Pretty loud, huh?" he said and she nodded then wrapped her arms around his neck. She wiped her nose on his shoulder and let out a big sigh. "Anastasia, I'm taking her inside."

She nodded and grabbed Arielle's hand, dragging her away. She looked at Csaba and Farah and told them, "I need you two to sign some documents."

Xena walked over to the cannon which was incredibly hot. Gabrielle followed her, but was anxious to get away from the field, judging by the look on the commander's face. She studied the machine and overlooked the hill where the ball landed and black smoke filled the air almost half a mile away.

"Well, you got your cannon. Are you happy now?" Gabrielle watched as the commander rounded the machine, ogling it as if it were some new child that she was obsessed with.

"I'm going to blow that bitch's face off," Xena clamped her hands together and looked at the horrified expression on fiancee's face. She realized that she spoke her internal thoughts, but she wasn't lying. If she could, she would cut Boareks' larynx out just like she almost did to Cera. She touched the muzzle of the cannon and hissed. She wagged her hand and Gabrielle laughed in the background.

She walked away from the machine and looked at her red fingertips. "Anastasia should promote that girl to engineer." She licked her fingertips and then placed both hands on her hips. "She is smarter than Csaba."

Gabrielle sighs. "You know Ana isn't going to do that. You got Farah in the field just for today. Now she's finished."

"But Gabrielle! Look at this marvelous machine from the heavens!" she showcased the cannon and Gabrielle slapped her arm. "Okay, after she has the baby then she can be the engineer, how's that sound?"

"Again, Anastasia is going to say no. Besides, you aren't going to kill Boareks with  _one_  cannon."

"No but I can if I aim it at her face." She was already planning how she could use the machine in war, although she had to keep it secret from the Sabir army. "Or if I get close enough, I can decapitate her or maybe I can chop all her limbs and let her bleed out."

"Sometimes you disgust me."

"You can still love me  _and_  be disgusted with me," Xena wriggled her eyebrows and the governor gave a dramatic eye roll and marched down the hill. "Come on, you get a leg, Ana gets a leg, Csaba and Farah get her arms and I get her head. Seem fair?"

* * *

That evening everyone sat together on the floor to eat dinner. Rarely everyone was able to sit down together as a huge group and often many of them would eat separately at different times and places. Tonight was different. Tonight was the night that everyone would remember since they were altogether, sitting in a circle around plates and bowls of food and wine. Usually the women ate together but the men were allowed to sit in just this once.

Clusters of closer knit families sat together, but they were all a huge family, probably the largest the clan of Attila had ever been in a very long time. Anastasia, Ellac, Arielle and Cera sat together at the front of the circle. Navaz, Fairuza, Tuya and Soran sat beside them on either side of the circle. Much to Farah's disappointment, she sat with Csaba and Rabia but was across from Oran and his new wife, Yeter and his parents sat on either side of them; Ebnedzar on Oran's side and Ursula on Yeter's side. Handan sat next to Ebnedzar and was busy trying to get her naughty sons to stop playing with their food. Farah watched the Gokturk the entire time and barely ate anything, but the Gokturk queen feigned innocence and pretended that eyes were not on her.

Everyone seemed focused on themselves and the people around them, but Farah's eyes were glued to Yeter. But her eyes weren't the only ones on the Gokturk woman. Leila, who sat next to Dengizich, also glared at Yeter. She did not forget what was told to her. It was malicious intent for sure. After that day, Leila never went to Kreka to talk about the divorce paper and she never brought it up to Dengi either. He was clueless about it all and he had a smile on his face as he joked with Ernak during the dinner.

While the two brothers joked, Bakkah tended to her son and fed him with soft bread and tried endlessly to spoon rice into his mouth. Leila's eyes averted away from Yeter and stared at Bakkah and Kurt together. She smiled softly at the baby laughing and refusing to eat anything and playing hand games with his mother, which obviously was starting to annoy Bakkah.

On the opposite end of the circle, Xena and Gabrielle sat with Kreka and the two older women bickered much through the dinner, although nobody could hear their conversation, except for Leila since she blocked out Dengi and Ernak joking around just like they did all the time. Leila ripped the bread in half and reached across the plates of food and dipped it into the yogurt and smiled at baby Kurt. He reached for the yogurt and engrossed his entire fist in it.

Bakkah gasped and grabbed his hand and wiped his fingers with a cloth. " _Sengi aptal cocuk, neden bunu yaptin_ ," she muttered and got up, leaving the circle.

Xena smirked and wiped her fingers on a cloth and stared at Kreka. "See, he's greedy just like you," she teased.

"Why are you sitting next to  _me_? Don't you belong over there," she pointed to Anastasia and Ellac at the other end of the huge circle.

"Oh, I'm sure you can put up with me for another hour, dragon lady." She grabbed the bowl of warm soft cheese and smiled deviously. Gabrielle lifted her head in the middle of chewing and saw the look on her face and set the spoon down on her plate. "Did you make this, Kreka?"

The khatun was about to eat some bread and stared at the bowl of cheese mixed with fruit that Xena was holding. "Yes I did. Is there a problem with it?"

"No, it's very good." She took a big helping of it and Gabrielle watched her carefully. "It could use more sugar though."

"I didn't put any sugar…" Kreka's hazel eyes narrowed.

"Oh, my mistake…" she casually set the bowl down and held the spoon in her hand. The suspicious khatun looked down at her plate and spread a pepper paste on the bread. Xena raised her eyebrow and tipped the spoon back with her finger, aiming at Kreka's face.

Gabrielle gasped. "Xena, no!" she reached over and the cheese flung off the spoon and missed the khatun's face but landed on her burgundy dress. Kreka's jaw dropped and everyone in the circle fell silent and dropped all conversation. Xena's smile was firmly on her lips and Gabrielle looked around at all the eyes on them.

Cera covered her eyes and Arielle leaned over, seeing the shock and anger on Kreka Khatun's face. "Punch her in the face, Khatun!" she yelled and Navaz wrapped a hand around her mouth and pulled her close to him.

Tuya rolled her eyes. "Honestly," she said breathily and threw down the cloth from her lap.

Soran whispered to his father, "I  _told_  you her grandma is crazy."

Kreka looked down at her bodice and Xena couldn't seem to wipe that playful smile off her face. " _Olgunlasmamis kaltak_!" she shouted while pointing her finger in the commander's face.

Anastasia covered Cera's ears but the obscenity did not go unnoticed by everyone else. Farah looked at Csaba who was very amused by the entire situation. In fact, all the men found this very funny while the women did not at all, even the cold White queen did not find it entertaining. Navaz chuckled under his breath and was elbowed in the ribs by his wife.

"I'm going to kill you!" the khatun wiped the cheese off her clothing and stood up. Xena stood up as well and brought out her sword.

"Yeah? Well let's go then. You promised me a duel."

"No swords!" Ana yelled from across the room.

Farah leaned over to Csaba and asked, "Are they always like this?"

"Unfortunately yes."

Bakkah hurried back into the room with her son and Gabrielle saw the frantic look in her eyes. "There's a fire!" she yelled, interrupting the fight that was about to break out. Kreka and Xena turned around and now the room was silent due to fear instead of awkward tension from earlier.

"Where's the fire?" asked Xena and side stepped the irritated khatun.

"It's far from here but I can see it."

"Gabrielle –"

"I'm right behind you." She tossed the spoon on the plate and jumped over the food to rush out of the room with Xena. Anastasia looked at Ellac nervously and frowned at her daughters, who seemed equally as nervous as everyone else.

She spoke to everyone in the room, "the women and children will stay here in the women's quarters. I need everyone else on the field."

Fairuza stood up and looked at Navaz, both with serious expressions on their faces. "I want to come." She says and Anastasia stared at Soran who was clinging to his mother's dress. "I should be there if anything happens. I want to help."

Ana sighed. She knew at this point that she wasn't going to win this argument and she definitely didn't want to continue to fight with children present. "Alright but everyone else stays here."

Csaba stood and helped Farah off the floor. "I'll go meet grandma and Gabrielle outside."

Farah gasped and grabbed his wrist. "Csaba, don't leave me!" she begged and her eyes quickly darted to Yeter who was now left alone without Oran and Ebnedzar. She stood with Ursula and Handan, but kept ignored the two wives of Ebnedzar and smiled at Farah. "Csaba, please don't go."

"I won't be gone long, I promise. You'll be safe here." He kissed her forehead and hand then left her side. She laced her fingers together and took in a deep breath then glanced over at Yeter who was coming closer to her.

Leila saw the Gokturk woman approaching Farah and walked over and put her arm around the Czarina. "Rabia and I will take her to the women's quarters." She says and Yeter lifted her chin and then finally showcased a slim tight-lipped smile and allowed them both to pass.

* * *

Xena ran to the hill where the recruits lived in their yurts. Some of the Roman soldiers came out of the yurts and observed the fire from miles and miles away. She gripped her sword firmly and her heart sank as she saw explosions and she couldn't do anything about it, but watch the fireworks from afar. Gabrielle finally caught up to her and the sky was lit up from the huge fire.

"That's Akitziri," she says softly and looked over at Xena. Her blue eyes reflected the roaring fire and for once, she couldn't read her face. She didn't know if Xena was upset or ready to kill. Long ago, Xena lived with the Akitziri people before she came to Pannonia. The people hated her and loved her there, but now, the Akitziri Huns were being burned alive and attacked.

Anastasia and Ellac ran up the hill and saw the fire. They both knew the location of the wild fire, but it wasn't a normal fire. This was caused by cannons and other ballistic machines. "Mother…" Ana placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "I'm sorry." She knew how her mother felt about the Akitziri people and the fact that her mother was silent, disturbed her and perhaps it was one of the few times, she expressed hurt and pain openly.

"Her head is mine." That was all that Xena said in the midst of the tense silence. The pain had passed and now she was furious. Angry. Upset. Horrified and disgusted beyond belief.

"Do you want to ride out there?" asked Gabrielle.

"It'll be too late. It takes a day to get there. By the time we get there Boareks will be gone like always."

"But we can at least scope out the area and get rid of the bodies. Are you just going to stand there and do nothing?"

Xena spun around. "Gabrielle!" she snapped. "It won't do any good to ride out there! She will be gone and so will Akitziri! She's taken everything from us!" her voice cracked and both Ana and her husband bowed their heads. "We prepare the Romans and our men for war. We ride to Balaam and we kill her."

* * *

Hours after firing at the Hun camp, Boareks strolled in on her horse and waft smoke out of her face. She trotted through the burned corpses and many had stab wounds from her men attacking the Huns. Women and children lay dead on the soil just a few feet outside of their homes. Yurts burned and filled the air with burning leather and animal hides. The sight of the dead Huns did not deter her from searching to find any survivors. Iliger sat on his horse with a sword in hand, covered in blood and black soot on his cheeks and slicked back dark hair.

She heard a noise from behind a yurt and prepared to kill. The horse rounded around the yurt slowly and there she saw a small boy, holding a toy in his arms. He looked to be no older than seven years old. Boareks grinned at the child and he was too scared to escape. Tear stained cheeks and big brown eyes told her that his family was gone. He was the only survivor here thus far.

"Iliger!" she yelled and he galloped over. "I told you to leave no one alive. Kill him." She ordered.

He stared at the frightened boy. "He is a child."

"He is a Hun. I said  _kill_  him." She hissed and he couldn't muster up the courage to run his sword through the child. She was fed up with her son's incompetence and jumped off the horse and this time, the boy attempted to escape but she grabbed his leg and dragged him on the soil and stomped her boot onto his spine. She stabbed the boy with her long sword and Iliger turned away, becoming ill hearing the boy scream and whimper. She twisted the sword into his small body and then drew the blade out and grabbed the boy's arm and pulled his body across the field and tossed him into a fire pit.

Iliger shook his head and then vomited off to the side. Boareks snarled and walked over to her son and pointed her weapon at his chest. "I told you no survivors. You disappointed me yet again, Iliger. You're even more worthless than a Hun corpse." She sliced his calf and he clenched his jaw. "Get off the horse."

He hesitated for a moment and then steadily dismounted the horse and pushed it away. She wrapped an arm around him as she was giving a warm embrace. He gasped audibly when he felt his mother's blade drive through his chest and out the other end of his torso. She stared at the men waiting off on the sidelines and pushed the blade in further and her son leaned up against her, digging his fingernails in her back. She felt his body tremble and then his hand slid down her backside.

She pushed him away and he slid off the blade and onto the ground, coughing up heaps of blood. She stared down at her son's brown eyes filled with fear and sadness. She wiped his blood on his clothing and walked back to her horse.

"We go back to Balaam!" she shouts at the cannon brigade.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"You hardly said a thing since the attack on Akitziri," Gabrielle watched the solemn commander sit on the floor for the last few hours. It had been days since the attack and men were sent to take care of the bodies. Much to their surprise, they found one of Boareks' sons dead on the ground next to a burning yurt, lying in a pool of his own blood.

She was worried about her and tried not to press her for days, but this had gone long enough. Xena was quiet, a bit too quiet for everyone's liking. Gabrielle tried to stay away from the Adame as there was talk of war plans and everyone, specifically Anastasia, kept asking for Xena, who wouldn't come out of the yurt. It was obvious that she was hurting and didn't know how to process it.

When Boareks destroyed the Khazar tribe, nobody knew who she was and then she obliterated the Atlyn tribe not long after. Boareks was a mystery to the Huns back then but now, her name was well known throughout the Balkans. She made sure her name was spoken everywhere and wasn't afraid to make herself known either. Justinian must have extreme faith in this woman to eradicate the Huns and what a fabulous job she had been doing so far.

Now there were no Atlyns, Khazars, Onogurs, Ashinas or Akitziri and the White Huns were taken over by the Sabir Queen and her army. Now there were just the Nezaks and Pannonians and Bulgurs who assimilated inside Pannonia. Boareks would strike again. She was coming for Pannonia and hiding out in Balaam planning her militia strategies and manning her ballistic weapons for war.

There were so few Huns left now all thanks to the Sabirs and their queen. All this time everyone thought their end was going to be because of the Romans or Magyars, but they were wrong. One person was able to do so much damage and she wasn't finished yet. Her last target was the Pannonian Huns and if Pannonia fell, then the entirety of the empire was gone.

"Xena…" she placed a hand on her fiancée's arm. "Please talk to me."

The commander lifted her puffy teary eyes and it was almost too much to bear for Gabrielle to see. "I'm never going to defeat her." She spoke in a cracked hoarse voice. "I thought this was a game," she inhaled deeply and looked out the small window of the yurt and the sun burned her tear laden eyes. "I thought I could interrogate her. I wanted her to be my toy until now. She has taken everything from me and hurt my family."

"You still have me." Gabrielle smiled and her eyes filled with tears. "And you have Ana, Cera, Arielle, Csaba, Ellac –everyone." Even mentioning the close knit family they had together did not seem to lighten either one of their moods. "We will put an end to this. She can't wipe everyone out."

Xena snorts and wiped her nose with her finger and thumb. She kept staring directly into the sun, not caring whether it burned any longer or not. "I should have been more careful. I should have known about the Sabirs. It is my job to know every single enemy outside these walls. If I had known then none of this would have happened."

"You can't blame yourself for that. We had our own fill with plenty of enemies at our doorstep; Romans, Byzantines, Persians and Visigoths. How would you know about the Sabirs? They were in seclusion."

"It is my job, Gabrielle!"

Gabrielle nodded, sensing anger in herself and in her partner across from her. "You're right. It is your job. You are the commander and maybe you shouldn't be a commander anymore."

Her eyes widened. "W –what?"

"Boareks has caused the extinction of your people –of the people who I call my own people now. She needs to be stopped or she will continue killing every living thing in her path. It is your duty to protect this land and this empire. Are you up for it?"

"But…but how? She is smarter than me, quicker than me…"

"She is not smarter than you. Quicker, yes, but not smarter. She also has a bloodlust that you don't have any more. She doesn't care how many people she kills and she obviously doesn't care about her own children." She noted her son, Iliger, who was left for dead. "She murders children and women, but you never have done that before."

"Yes I have," she regretfully said and the governor held her tongue, ignoring that remark.

"She's a monster, Xena. You are not, not anymore. You haven't been that person in decades yet you are still the  _best_  commander I know." She winked and Xena half smiles at the subtle compliment. "I'll stay here with you for as long as you need but I think everyone really needs you. I know I do."

Xena let out a heavy exhale and brushed strands of hair behind her ear. "Everyone  _always_  needs me to do something."

"Because you are important! We all care about you. Don't you want this to be a safe place for all of the children to grow up in after we're gone? What about Csaba's child?"

"That stupid boy," she grumbled. "He may have Ellac's face but he is just like Anastasia. He is lucky that his wife is very intelligent."

"And you thought she was a ditz."

Xena frowned and leaned back on the pillows, her eyes drier now than they were earlier from hours of sobbing. "I never said that. She's still a spoiled girl but she is much better than she used to be."

Gabrielle grins and reached over to grab her hand. "So, how are we going to defeat this bitch?" she narrowed eyebrows together and showcased a malicious smile on her lips.

* * *

Csaba walked into the guest bedroom that he and Farah were staying in until the construction in his room was complete. He still couldn't believe that his mother agreed to build a bathhouse and extra room onto the Adame just for Farah. He had a towel wrapped around his slender taut waist and combed back his wet hair with his fingers into a bun and tied a ribbon around the mound of hair on his head. He turned to his wife who was sitting on the bed, pressing her fingers against her hips. She had a pained look on her face and he frowned.

"What's the matter?" he asked and sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's nothing." She dismissed it and sniffed the air and leaned over and smelled his clean skin. "You smell like a mint tree vomited all over you."

He chuckled. "I can go back and bathe again if you want. You don't like the smell I can tell."

She rolls her eyes and ran her fingers through her long locks. "Could you get my sister for me? I need her to help me wash my hair."

He raised an eyebrow and traced his fingers along her sleeve covered arm. "I can wash your hair for you." He kissed her hand and scooted closer. She frowned and pushed him away.

"Csaba," she warned and he brushed her hair behind her shoulder and kissed her neck. "Csaba, don't." She tried to hide her smile and felt his lips traveling down to her collar bone and her dress slipped off her shoulder. "Quit it!" she shoved him and he laughed lightly.

"What? You are my wife. I am supposed to show affection to you, right?" he teased and ran his hand down her thigh and his fingers slowly traveled under dress, exposing her slender crisscrossed legs.

She gasped and grabbed his hand before he could go any further. "Csaba, stop. I mean it!" she raised her voice and he lowered his gaze. "I don't want you to look at me."

He scoffed. "I've seen you without your clothes before, Farah."

"Not in a long time!" she snapped and slapped his hand away.

"You'll always look beautiful to me and you're carrying our child so you are even more beautiful to me than before," he winked and her cheeks blushed.

"Well, aren't you two just adorable," Oran interrupted the two and leaned on the doorway. Farah groaned and pulled her dress over her legs and Csaba rose from the bed. "Csaba, the commander wants to see you outside."

The prince nodded and grabbed his pants and vest. "Tell her I'll be out in an hour."

"She said now."

"Okay, fine." He grumbled and slipped his pants on quickly and threw the long sleeved vest over his head and snatched his boots from the floor and sat on the bed, quickly lacing them up. He looked over at Farah and smiled. "I'll come back and wash your hair for you later, yes?"

Oran smirked. "Look at you. Such a kind husband you are. Farah, you lucky  _kadin_." He saluted at her and she folded her arms, leaning back on the pillows.

Csaba grabbed his sword and frowned at his cousin. "Don't you have a wife of your own to bother now?"

"Oh yeah," the shaman Hun snorted. "She's a real ray of sunshine!" he mocked. "She is not bad in bed though."

Farah felt like she was going to be sick and covered her ears listening to the cousins talk in front of the doorway. Csaba's mouth parts slightly. "You already had sex with her?"

"Of course." Oran slapped his cousin on the shoulder. "Must perform my duty, right?" he chuckled. "Come on let's go before your grandmother kicks your ass again."

"She's never kicked my ass."

"You keep telling yourself that, cousin."

* * *

Ernak walked into the chamber which held prisoner, Pascal. Kutilzis was ordered to stand by the prince during the daytime until sunset. He felt like he had a sense of freedom here that he never had in Siberia with his brothers and mother. The news of his brother's death didn't affect him as much as he thought it would. Iliger was always rude to him and even as a child, he knew his brother hated him. Balmaq was indifferent and didn't incite him often.

Iliger was fifteen years older than him and Balmaq, twenty five years older than him, so he always felt like he never belonged. Even though his mother was not always kind to his brothers, he was more favored among his siblings. Even their father liked him more and predicted great things for him as King of the Sabirs when the time came. Now that both his elder brothers were dead there was no way he was going to be king of the Sabirs now since the Huns were hunting his mother like dogs.

The Banat prisoner remained chained to the chain and Ernak grumbled as he searched for fresh clothes. Kutilzis stared at Pascal while the Hun grumbled, muttering to himself, walking around the room and pulling drawers out to search for clothes. Pascal smirked at the teenager and Kutilzis frowned.

"Damn." Ernak said and slapped a hand on the Sabir's shoulder. "I'm going to grab clothes from the laundry room for this goat. Stay here and watch him for me. There are guards posted outside if you need them." He gave an order and the boy's eyes widened in fear. "You think you can handle this bastard?" he chuckled.

Kutilzis nodded and Ernak ran out of the room. He heard the door slam shut and lock from the outside. Taking in a deep breath he turned around and the Banat officer had a strange look in his eyes.

Pascal stretched out his legs and relaxed in the chair. He cocked his head to the side, gawking at the Sabir. "So, you're Boareks' son." He states and Kutilzis said nothing in return. "You must have been beside yourself when you saw your brothers dead at your feet, killed by these Huns."

The teen's cheeks soured at the mention of his brothers. "My mother killed my brother in Akitziri."

"Is that what they told you?" Pascal questioned. "Huns lie, boy. They killed your brother and the Hun bitch, Anastasia, killed your other brother. Don't you feel upset about it?" he challenged him and Kutilzis eyes remained focused upon him. "And now they're going to war with your mother. She will die by a Hun sword."

Kutilzis' eyes faltered and he looked the other way, not baring the intense glare he was receiving from the Banat man. "My mother is not a good person. I've watched her kill many Chinese and Persians when I was a child."

Pascal nodded. "She is a conqueror as was your father. She is very skilled with a sword, isn't she? She is the same age as the commander yet she is better at everything. You must be proud of her."

"I am not proud of my mother's conquests. She's killed many Huns and Szekelys. You deserve to be here. You are lucky that the Huns don't kill you."

"Lucky. Yes, I'm so lucky to be alive yet my fiancée was stolen from me. Farah was supposed to be mine and now she is married to a Hun. You see, boy, Huns take everything they set their eyes on, including your mother."

Kutilzis raised his eyebrow. "My mother?"

Pascal hooked the boy's attention and he felt his heart flutter. Trying to hide his eager, he adds, "Why yes of course, boy. Huns rape and pillage. It's what they're best at. You never once questioned why your brothers despised you?"

The Sabir teen froze in place.

"Your mother was raped by Huns when they invaded your homeland." Pascal said and Kutilzis' face paled. "She hates the Huns yet here you are living among them." He planted a seed in the boy's head and saw the boy's mind ticking.

"That –that is a lie. I am a true Sabir from my father's line."

"Are you? Huns say they are tolerant of everyone but you'll never be one of them, Kutilzis. You'll rot here and then they will execute you just like they're going to do to your mother."

The door unlocked and Ernak walked in with clothes and threw them in Pascal's face. "Here's your clothes, worm." He chuckled and nudged Kutilzis' arm. "You can unchain him so he can change. I'll keep my weapon close in case he tries something." He instructed and the boy stood still, unsure of whether to trust the Hun prince now that Pascal told him the unthinkable. "Hello, you gonna do it or what? I don't have all day here, boy. I have other duties to attend to besides babysitting you. Go on!" he pushed him forward.

Pascal smiled and Kutilzis frowned then walked behind him to unshackle his wrists.

* * *

Csaba and Oran strolled to the field where Xena and Gabrielle waited patiently for them. The entire Roman army lined up in rows, standing so still that not even the bugs crawling on their legs could bother them. The Hun recruits seemed more or less distracted but were threatened by Xena if they uttered a word. A few of them already got whacked in the shins due to their talkative mouths.

"You wanted to see me?" the prince asked and Oran smiled at the commander and governor.

"Morning ladies," the smooth Hun mused and Gabrielle rolled her eyes and Xena crinkled her nose.

"Oran, get lost." She shooed him out of her territory and he winked at her then ran back down the hill and knocked off a Roman's helmet on purpose to rouse the commander. She groaned and turned to her patient grandson. "Anyway. Csaba, I have a job for you. I want you to teach Gabrielle all of the tactics you learned in China. You're both going to teach the Romans."

He nervously looked at the large of Romans and Huns. He didn't know if he was going to be a good teacher. It wasn't like he was good at it unlike his wife. Farah had a gift for teaching and so did Gabrielle. His mother wasn't good at teaching either which is why she hired tutors for Arielle and Cera which fell through when the Sabirs came along. He was sure that she'd employ Farah to teach his sisters Chinese and other languages.

"You really want me to do that? Doesn't Boareks know the Chinese tactics? She's warred with them for years."

Xena nodded. "That is exactly the point. She's never won against China so I want you to teach Gabrielle everything you know."

"But…what about you? Don't you need to know?"

"No. If you teach Gabrielle the tactics, she will just tell me the commands. All I have to do is say a command and the Romans will follow. I don't care how Boareks is killed but I want her to suffer. So, get to work, boy." She smiled and slapped a hand on his shoulder.

He sighed and looked at the eagerness on Gabrielle's face. "I'm going to need some parchment…" he says awkwardly. "Is this going to take long?"

Gabrielle chortled. "You have a date or something?"

He sheepishly looked at the ground.

"Oh come on," Xena griped and was slapped by her blonde cohort. "Csaba I need you on the field right now. You can see your wife later. This is more important."

"Okay…"

Gabrielle wrapped her arm around his broad shoulders. "We can discuss in the yurt. I have loads of parchment! This is going to be very fun."

"Oh, yeah, sure." He smiled nervously. "Does that mean I am the commander too?"

His grandmother shot him an incredulous look and scoffed. "Just go be teacher and get out of here. I have to continue training. We're going to be working with catapults today so everyone needs to stay out of this area. Tell Dengi to guard the perimeter. Don't want anyone's limbs exploding off their bodies. You get me?" she playfully said.

"Grandma…" he cringed. "You're going to be using live ammunition?"

"I have to make sure they are working properly. Now go, both of you." She waved her hand and Gabrielle pulled him along to the yurt far from where they were.

He walked down the hill with Gabrielle and looked back at the recruits fearing for their lives as they pushed the catapults towards the barren field ahead. "Is she ever going to let me help her train the recruits like she used to?" he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulder. "I think she wants to you to be close to Farah and stay away from the field for awhile. She doesn't want the same thing to happen to Farah like what happened to your mother."

He quirked his mouth and remembered how sad his mother was when he was a child. She wasn't the same when his father supposedly died. She even denied men who tried to court her after she turned eighteen. He knew that his grandmother would never allow any man to come near her anyway.

"I guess but I want to help. This is my land too."

"She's not going to let you go to war, Csaba. In fact, Dengi is going to stay here."

He frowned. "Then who is going?"

She went down the list, "your parents, Fairuza, Tuya, Navaz and Ernak. Ebnedzar and Oran are staying here as well just in case something happens. You should be happy that you aren't going to war."

"Did she decide this?"

"No…" she rubbed the nape of her neck. "Your mother requested you to stay here. She wants you to look after your sisters –"

"In case what? She dies?" he shook his head. "My mother is not going to die. If god wills it, she will cut off Boareks' head and parade her through the streets of Pannonia."

* * *

Farah walked into the women's quarters and looked over at Leila and Bakkah sitting together, sharing a large set of tea together. The room was rather empty which was odd at this time of day. She expected to see more women here. She approached them and interrupted their gleeful conversation.

"Have either of you seen my sister?"

"She went to the market in west Pannonia to get fabric." Leila answered and Farah sighed. "Do you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to know where she was. I've been looking for her all morning." She says with a faint smile and Bakkah grabbed her crawling son and set him in her lap. "He's so precious."

Bakkah grinned and ran her hand over Kurt's black hair. "Do you want to watch him for awhile?"

Farah nerves kicked in and she refused. "No that's alright. I'm just going to grab some tea and go back to my room." She started backing away and waved at Kurt and he let out a gurgling laugh.

Yeter entered the room and immediately saw Farah standing by the table filled with an assortment of teas. She gawked at the slender Czarina's backside, dressed in a long black robe that reached the ground. Her waist length hair was tied back in a low ponytail and she was busy pouring sugar in her glass. The Gokturk made her way over to the table and grabbed a glass.

Farah glanced over and saw the pale slender fingers beside hers and inhaled deeply but kept to her own and stirred the sugar in the hot tea. Yeter grinned and reached over to grab the bowl of sugar cubes and then looked at the different herbs in small bowls sprawled across the table.

"Which is your favorite?" she inquired and the Czarina paused and tapped the spoon on the edge of the glass and gently set it down on the table.

She knew that the Gokturk queen wasn't going to leave her alone if she didn't talk to her so she decided to play along. "The cinnamon," she says curtly. She watched Yeter's hand reach for the cinnamon but grabbed the lavender instead.

"Lavender tea is better for you. Calms your muscles," she says and breaks up the stems and sets in the empty glass and grabbed the hot pot then pours the scalding water into the glass.

Farah turned to the Gokturk and placed a hand on her hip. "What are you doing?" she mustered up the courage to finally get to what Yeter was up to.

"Making tea. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"No." she grabbed Yeter's wrist just as the sugar was to be scooped. "Why are you following me? Why are you always trying to talk to me?"

Yeter grinned and stepped closer to the tall Czarina. They were almost equal in height but Yeter stood a couple of inches shorter. "You sent the commander after me. I was interrogated for hours by her. I know it was you."

"Only because you cornered me."

"I was simply trying to talk to you. I know you don't like me."

"You were going to kill me and Csaba. You were working with the Sabir queen. Why should I trust you?"

Yeter snickered and grabbed Farah's shoulder firmly. "You don't have to like me but we do have to live together now. And let me tell you, when all the queens are long gone, we will have each other. I'm not going anywhere, Farah. Our children will grow up together and you will have to see my face every day so we might as well get along. Isn't that what you want? We are not Huns. We are outsiders .We will breed a new race of Huns to conquer. You are a queen now but I am more experienced than you so…make sure to stay out of my way."

Farah held her breath and glared into the woman's dark brown eyes. She then smiled confidently, now understanding this woman's game. "You're right. I am a queen  _and_  a princess of the Huns. You are a nobody here so make sure  _you_  stay out of  _my_  way." She reached over and kissed Yeter's cheek and walked off with her tea.

Yeter's mouth gaped and she turned around swiftly, watching the Czarina waltz out of the room and the robe drag on the wood floor.

* * *

Gabrielle slipped into the bath water that evening and Xena was already in the bath, soaking her skin with oil. She dipped her short hair in the hot water and swam over to grab the bottle of oil. "How was catapult training?" she asks casually.

Xena rubbed oil on her neck and then grabbed her very long hair and oiled the ends. "Two boys ran for their lives when they launched the catapult. I thought they were going to piss themselves." She snickered and rubbed the hair shaft in between her oily palms. "Other than that it was very boring but all the machines work. How was your discussion with Csaba?"

"Just between you and me…" she swam closer and whispered, "he's a god awful teacher!" the two looked at each other and began laughing. "I'm serious though. He's terrible but he tried. He was able to explain a lot of tactics that we can use against the Sabirs. I just hope it's enough."

"Knowing her, she's got a few tricks up her sleeves but those cannons are her savior. She relies on them but if we blow them up, she's got nothing." She dunked her hair in the water and ran her hand over the top of her head. "We should talk to Busra and ask how Boareks proceeds in a war. She's got to have some information."

Gabrielle nodded and ran her fingers through her locks. "I'm sure she does. We can ask her tomorrow." She finished oiling her hair and leaned back against the wall of the bath. "But enough talk of work," she grinned. "After we get rid of Boareks, we can finally celebrate like you said, right?"

"Yes Gabrielle, for the last time." She smirked and swam to the opposite end of the pool. "I'm not wearing a dress but feel free to wear whatever you want."

"I think I've learned my lesson about the dresses." The governor rolled her sore shoulders backward and kept eyeing the commander from afar. Her high cheekbones, her silken midnight hair and piercing blue eyes were definitely her features, but her smile, when it was honest and warm, was the best feature.

Xena looked up and saw her partner ogling her. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just admiring you."

"Oh yeah?" she lifted a brow and swam over to her and brushed a wet lock of hair off her forehead. "Better view now?" she sank deeper in the water and Gabrielle's smile widened. She cornered her in the water and kissed her nose and then her lips softly.

She paused when she heard giggling and lip smacking from nearby. She frowned and turned her head to the bath next to them. Gabrielle wiped the corners of her lips and averted her eyes to where Xena was looking. "What is it?" she whispered.

Xena sank down in the water and swam over and listened to the subtle noises. She pushed back the curtains and both her grandson and Farah gasped loudly, caught with their arms wrapped around one another. Csaba panicked and sank down in the water, afraid that she was able to see anything that he didn't want his grandmother to see. Gabrielle swam over and looked at the guilty couple.

"You do realize this is the  _women's_  bathhouse, don't you?" she asked her grandson who was red in the face. She hid her sly smile but Gabrielle sure didn't. She admired his very trim and muscular physique. "Been working out?"

He covered his chest with his arms and Farah brushed her hair behind her ears. "I…I'll be leaving."

"No need to leave now," she said and he swam further away. "Is this why you wanted to leave the field earlier?" she notices his cheeks reddened even more and Gabrielle laughed.

Farah covered for the very embarrassed prince, "he…was helping me wash my hair."

Gabrielle and Xena shared a smug look and then stared at the young couple. "Is  _that_  what you were doing." chides the blonde governor. "I didn't know washing hair required so much mouth to mouth. Did you, Xena?" she tapped her cheek.

Xena played along. "Must be some session." She teased her grandson and he wanted to sink further to hide and sulk alone.

"You two have made your point. I'm getting out." Csaba swam to the edge and Farah was over there smiling, enjoying the torture from the two women. "Could you two…turn around?"

"By all means, don't let us stop you." Xena pulled back the curtains and Gabrielle covered her mouth.

"He's in the women's bathhouse!" she whispered whilst cracking up softly.

"I would wash my wife's hair too if she looked like that…" she swam to the opposite side of the bath.

Gabrielle gasped. "Hey! What about me? What am I? Chopped liver?"

* * *

Despite impending war, everyone was able to spend ample time together and enjoy it while it lasted. Fairuza, Tuya, Leila, Handan and Bakkah were inside the women's quarters playing a game with dice and drinking wine. The children were with their fathers for the evening which was hard enough to get them to watch the children for a few hours.

Kutilzis walked into the room and quietly closed the doors behind him. His presence went unnoticed by the laughing and chatting women. He had a scowl on his face and glared at the two queens sitting beside each other, talking together while the other women were busy arguing over the silly board game they were playing.

He walked slowly towards the circle of women and Fairuza turned around when Tuya's eyes followed him. She smiled and was surprised to see him here as the other children were not in the room. "Kutilzis, the children are with their fathers." She said and he kept glaring at her with his dark eyes and the other women's conversations quieted down when he didn't say anything.

"Kutilzis?" she says his name again.

He whipped out a sword hidden behind his back and stabbed her through the throat. Handan and Bakkah quickly tried to get away and Tuya jumped up, unarmed. He pulled out another sword and drove it through her abdomen. Fairuza gasped and blood gushed out of her neck and mouth. He pushed her onto the rug and let her bleed out. He grabbed Tuya by the shoulder and forced the blade further into her body and blood seeped out of her mouth and he threw her aside and she fell on top of Fairuza, croaking.

Leila looked for any weapons that she could use. He turned and saw Handan and Bakkah trying to make a quick exit. He ran over to the door and drove both swords into their spines and they face planted onto the large double doors. He pulled out the blades and they slid down and Handan fell on top of Bakkah.

He growled and wiped the blood off his face and Leila poured hot tea onto his arm and he hissed but did not scream. He bit his tongue instead. The Sabir smiled and grabbed her veil and ripped it off her head, pulling her long chestnut brown hair. He then kicked her down to the floor and flipped her over onto her back. She sobbed and tried to fight him off, waving her arms and pushing his face away.

He smiled wickedly and forced the sword to her throat and quickly slit it. She gasped and grabbed her neck to try and stop the blood spewing out. He stood up and looked at his bloody hands in disgust then looked at Leila as she was choking on her own blood so he stabbed her through the chest and her body convulsed then the rug was soaked with crimson.

Sighing he walked over to the table and grabbed a cloth and wiped his face off from Hun blood and then walked over to the doors. He set down the swords and grabbed Handan and Bakkah then dragged them off one by one so he could leave.

He left the women's quarters and closed the doors behind him closely as if nothing happened. He scanned the area to make sure nobody was nearby and looked at his burned arm and now the pain was settling in. Kutilzis hastily went down the hallway to his room so he could undress and clean his face and hair which was drenched in blood.

* * *

Arielle frowned and rubbed her chin as she contemplated her next move on the chess board. Ellac waited patiently as he was playing against her, but she was taking an awfully long time to decide. Cera and Anastasia sat together watching the match.

"Anytime Arielle…" he encouraged her.

"Shh." The princess put up her hand. "I'm thinking."

Ana chuckled and Cera covered her mouth, watching her father get more and more frustrated as he sat and waited. "We can beat them because we're a team, right?" she whispered and Cera nodded excitedly. "And we will win because I taught you." And her daughter giggled softly.

Arielle smiled and moved her piece across the board and folded her arms, staring at her stepfather with confidence. Ellac smirked and moved the queen totem and knocked out all of her other pieces. "Check," he said and she gasped.

"What!" she yelled and looked at the board, studying it to see where she made the mistake. "This is so unfair!" she pouted. "You know what, when I am queen, I will win all the games of chess."

"When you're queen huh?" Ellac teased. "Don't be a sore loser, Arielle. It's your mother's and sister's turn now."

"No! I want to go again!"

He raised his eyebrow and looked at his wife. "She sounds like your mother."

Ana rolled her eyes. "My mother is bad at this game. Arielle, come on, it's our turn now. You get to go one more time after us." She said and the bitter princess groaned and crawled across the floor and sat by herself, brooding silently.

Cera stood up and stared down at her older sister. She tapped Arielle's shoulder and pointed to her and made a pouting face to make fun of her and Arielle's mouth gaped. "Mother!"

Ana turned and frowned. "What?"

"Cera is making fun of me."

"Don't be ridiculous. Cera would never do that."

The redheaded princess smiled smugly and Arielle's eyes widened. "But mom!"

"Arielle! It's just a game." She grabbed Cera and told her to sit down across from her. She began setting up the board for a new game and Ellac leaned back, watching the chaos unfold slowly. He sipped the wine and laughed at Arielle's shocked face, knowing very well what Cera just did, but Ana didn't see it.

He scooted closer to his daughter and whispered in her ear, "don't worry you can beat your mother."

Cera grinned and Anastasia raised her eyebrow and finished setting up the chess board. "I am very good at this game, Ellac and you're going to lose. I won twice already."

"Don't be a sore winner, Ana," he said in a teasing tone and winked at her. She hid her shy smile and stared at her daughter, ready to play the game. Ana made her first move and Cera let out a hefty sigh and tapped her cheek. Ellac leaned over and whispered, "You should move the rook piece."

"Ellac, no cheating!"

" _Yeah_ , no cheating," Arielle repeated after her mother. "Why isn't Csaba playing with us?"

"He's with Farah right now," Ana answered and Cera finally moved the piece that her father told her to. She smirked and moved the next piece and the princess sighed heavily, unsure what move to make next.

Arielle folded her arms. "He's always with Farah. She can come play with us too!"

"I don't think anyone would win playing against her," Ellac muttered.

"Is she good at chess too?" the princess asked and the king nodded. "See, then she can come play with us. I bet I can beat her. Me and Csaba can be on a team together and Farah can be with mother."

Ana looked over at her and shook her head. "I would lose against Farah. She built a cannon, Arielle. She is very smart." She saw her husband helping their daughter again and scowled. "Ellac, stop helping!"

"What? I'm just sitting here." He played coy and nudged Cera's arm. The little princess chuckled and moved the knight totem and Ana exhaled out of her nose deeply.

* * *

Early in the morning before anyone was awake yet, Kreka walked towards the women's quarters. She was concerned that none of the women left since last night and the men took care of the children all night which they didn't seem to mind, but she knew that the children would wake up soon and probably give their fathers a rude awakening.

She opened the doors and her eyes widened at the bloodbath displayed in front of her. The rug was soaked with blood. She stepped inside and saw Bakkah and Handan lying together with holes in their abdomens and blood soaked through their dark thick cotton dresses. Her face contorted in disgust and she walked in further and Leila was lying on her back with her throat slit and her lifeless eyes wide open.

Both of her sons' wives were slaughtered and she didn't know how to react and she certainly didn't want to see their faces when they saw their wives displayed in this horror show either.

The khatun turned and saw Fairuza with her arm sprawled out on the floor and her eyes wide open, almost as if she knew what was going to happen to her. But that was the question wasn't it? Who did this? She moved Tuya who was lying on top of the redheaded queen and there was a large gut wound through her dress.

She stepped back and looked at her hands, stained with her own people's blood. This was a massacre and it was done in her home. All of these mothers and two queens were gone. She ran out of the room and down the hallway, pushing through a few servant women.

The minute she stepped outside she vomited on the steps and wrapped an arm around her stomach and her eyes filled with tears. She stared at the commander's yurt and breathed heavily. Many soldiers were awake at this early hour and looked her way, concerned for her.

"Xena!" she croaked and walked down the stairs, nearly losing her balance as her head was spinning. "Xena!" she yelled louder and then ran across the field. "XENA!" her voice echoed and she tripped and crawled across the grass before she picked herself up and kept her eyes on the yurt.

She barged into the yurt moments later and ran into the bedroom where Xena and Gabrielle were sleeping soundly. She grabbed Xena's arm and shook her violently. Xena opened her eyes groggily and stared at the frantic khatun standing over her.

Sitting up, she looked down at her arm and saw a bloody handprint and slowly lifted her head at Kreka whose hands were shaking and her dress had blood on it as well. "Kreka…what is this…"

Gabrielle slowly awakened and sat up, ruffling her hair. She looked over and saw blood all over Kreka's hands and on Xena's arm and now she was more awake than she had ever been. "Whose blood is that?" she asked and crawled over to observe the khatun's trembling hands.

Tears fell from the queen's mother eyes and she sobbed uncontrollably as the realization of the women's deaths finally came crashing down upon her.


	26. Chapter 26

**Thanks for continuing to follow along, everyone! I promise the next chapter will involve more Sabir action. ;)**

Chapter 26 – _The Calm Before The Storm_

Xena stared at all the women lying dead on the floor and never once had she seen a massacre like this within a tight knit household. There were only few people who had access to this room and those were the women of the Adame, the children, and occasionally the men if they were granted permission. This attack was done quickly and instead of allowing herself to grieve she studied the bodies and how they were killed. It was fast and smooth. Each woman was stabbed in the same place aside from Leila and Fairuza, who had throat wounds.

A sword driven to Fairuza's throat and Leila's was slit by the sharp blade, quickly which caused her to bleed out. Xena frowned at Leila as she stood over the corpse of the petite Hun woman. The silver tea pot was lying very close to Leila's hand. Xena picked up the tea pot and it was half empty which meant that she attacked whoever was coming at her.

She was stabbed in the chest second, given the amount of blood around Leila's throat. Xena dropped the tea pot and looked over at Bakkah and Handan who had the same wound in the exact same spot –the spine. She eyed the door and saw blood marks on the floor. The attacker dragged them away from the doors. They were trying to escape.

"Gabrielle," she called out and the governor came to stand beside her. Gabrielle could hardly look at the women lying on the floor and turned her cheek, staring at the wall. "Stand by the doors and don't let anyone inside."

She nodded and hurried over to the doors. Xena turned and saw Kreka sitting beside Tuya and Fairuza. There were four Hun queens and now there were only two left. She sighed and knelt down beside the bodies and stared at the khatun's hazel eyes dry as a bone and fixated on the fallen queens. She looked at the edges of Tuya's dress where her gut wound was and dug her fingers in the wound.

Kreka lifted her eyes and grabbed the commander's wrist. "What do you think you're doing?"

Xena raised her free hand and Kreka let go of her wrist hesitantly. She closed her eyes and dug her arm further into the warm wound and pulled her bloody arm out. "The wound was caused by one of my swords." She concluded.

"How can you tell?"

Xena pointed to the serrated edges of Tuya's dress around the gut wound. "The cuts are very clean. Whoever did this went in the armory and stole my sword. They waited to do this at the right time. The women were alone, the men were far away and the children weren't around."

Kreka covered her mouth and turned away, no longer able to bear the sight of the corpses. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself. "Why would this person kill these women? Wouldn't it be more beneficial to kill the men?"

"Women are easier to take down than men, especially the men in this household." Xena wiped her bloody arm with a cloth and stood up, staring down at the two queens. "Help me carry them out back. The medic will clean their bodies before burial." She grabbed Tuya's legs and began pulling her dead weight. "Kreka."

The khatun stood still with her back turned and Xena dropped the White queen's legs. "Kreka, I need your help. The children are going to come looking for their mothers and I don't want them to find their mothers like this."

Kreka took in a deep breath and turned around, staring at Tuya lying on the ground with one arm over her head and the other sprawled out to the side. She grabbed her arms and Xena grabbed the legs and lifted up the tall queen. They walked towards the back of the women's quarters and Xena kicked the door open with her boot and together they carried Tuya outside and placed her in the grass.

* * *

Gabrielle waited outside the room patiently and was curious as to what was going on inside there. She didn't hear anything from Xena or Kreka, but she definitely wasn't going to open the door to find out what was happening either. She saw Soran, Talat and Toran approaching the doors and she held the handles behind her back.

Soran smiled at the governor and she returned the smile. Talat and Toran yawned and rubbed their eyes. "Good morning Gabby. What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"I was…instructed to stay outside to make sure you boys don't go inside." She tapped his nose and he frowned.

"Why? I want to see my mother." He tried to get around her and she gently pushed him away.

"You can't go in there." She felt a lump in her throat and all three boys stared at her confusedly.

"Why?"

"Because…the commander said so." She thought that would deter them but it didn't work.

"Arielle's crazy grandma doesn't make the rules!" Soran chastised and tried to pull Gabrielle's arms away from the large door handles. She pushed him backward and then Handan's boys tried to distract her by tugging at her arms and legs.

Ernak walked up carrying his sleeping son in one of his arms. He saw all three boys climbing on Gabrielle and her yelling at them to go away. "Hey, hey!" he yelled and the boys turned around with big eyes. "What is going on?"

"She won't let us in!" Soran pointed at the governor.

"Well I'm sure she has a good reason." He smiled at Gabrielle and she blinked at the prince. She didn't want to see his face when he found out that his beloved wife had been murdered. He loved Bakkah and he had a baby to take care of and she didn't know how he was going to take that loss. "Gabrielle, why can't they go in?"

She swallowed and lifted her chin, staring at the three scowling boys. "The commander said not to let anyone inside right now."

Ernak nodded. "Good enough. Come on, we can go to the king's quarters and wait." He suggested and all the boys whined and moaned. "It's not going to kill you to wait awhile." He chuckled and the boys followed him down the hallway.

Gabrielle exhaled deeply and thought what a poor choice of words that was. She was tempted to peek inside the room but refrained. She heard a loud thump from behind the doors and her stomach knotted. She pressed her ear against the door and heard Xena talking to Kreka in a firm tone.

Kutilzis came out of the hallway and saw the three boys walking with the Hun prince towards the king's quarters together. Ernak smiled at the Sabir boy and adjusted his son in his arm. "Kutilzis, would you like to join us? We're going to play a few games."

He looked over at the governor who was guarding the women's room and grinned at the Hun prince. "No, thank you." He pulled his sleeve down, careful not to expose the horrible burn on his arm. Ernak noticed the burn but did not question him and continued walking with the talkative boys behind him. The Sabir teen grimaced and eyed the staircase where the kin of Attila lived. He knew that Ernak shared a room with his wife upstairs as did Dengizich, Ellac, and Csaba.

He made his way up the long curved staircase and eyed all of the double doors. There was a room in the center of the upstairs, another to the left, another to right and two in the far corners. He raised his eyebrow, wondering which room belonged to whom. He figured that the doors in the center belonged to Ellac and Anastasia but he was unsure about the others.

* * *

Farah brushed her hair in front of the mirror and then set the brush and looked at her reflection. She adjusted the black dress she wore and adjusted the brassiere beneath the gown and frowned. Her eyes dipped downward at her breasts overflowing out of her brassiere. The door opened to the room and she put her hands over her chest when she saw Kutilzis.

"Kutilzis," her cheeks flushed. "What are you doing in here?"

"Just checking on you, Czarina." He said and she smiled then picked up a bottle of oil and poured some into her palm and smoothed it over her hair. When he saw she was distracted he frowned and approached her from behind. He pulled out the same sword that he used to massacre all of the women.

She paused when she heard the metal and grabbed the bottle of oil. He cried out and swung the sword downward and she got out of the chair before it was able to strike her. She threw the bottle at his face and he moaned closing and whipping his eyes doused in oil.

She ran around the vanity and he turned around, blinking rapidly to get the oil out of his eyes. He jumped over the bed and as she opened the door he swung the blade down and cut into the wood doors. She screamed and looked for anything near her that she could use to hit him with. She looked at a vase and he grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall. He grabbed her face and she slapped him on the chest several times, trying to get away.

He smiled and brought the blade close to her neck and she stomped on his boot and he yelled out aloud. She pushed him backward and made a run for the door. Groaning, he hobbled over to her and sliced through her dress. She gasped and her hand went to the side of her belly and saw blood on her hand. She quickly opened the door and screamed out for help as she ran down the hallway.

Rabia came out of her bedroom and her sister came running towards her with the Sabir following behind. "Farah!" she ran and grabbed her sister's hand and saw blood on her palm. " _O_   _doamne_ ," she muttered and set her sister aside and frowned at Kutilzis. He rolled his shoulders backwards and had a malicious smile on his lips.

Ellac swung open the doors and saw Kutilzis holding a sword and heading towards Farah and Rabia. He ran across the hall and tackled the teenager to the ground. Anastasia ran out of the room and Farah was on the floor, leaning against the wall, whimpering. Ellac was on top of Kutilzis, wrestling for the sword and Ana ran over to Farah and Rabia.

She cupped Farah's cheeks. "What happened? Are you alright?" she inspected her and Farah showed her a shaky hand drenched in blood. Ana's eyes widened and she looked at Rabia. "Go get Dengizich!" she yelled at Rabia. "Go!" she pushed the Czarina and Rabia ran down the corridor to the next room. She grabbed Farah's hand and looked at the small gash on her abdomen. "Don't worry; it doesn't look that bad,  _tatli kiz_. You'll be fine."

* * *

Gabrielle walked with Xena out in the field. "What did you do with their bodies?" she whispered.

"They're in the medic's yurt. Kreka is going to bring him fresh dresses as soon as he's done cleaning their bodies." She said quietly and saw her daughter waiting outside of the midwife's yurt. She quickened her pace and Anastasia stood with her arms folded, glaring at the Adame.

Gabrielle touched the queen's shoulder. "Anastasia, what's wrong? Why are you out here?"

She took in a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. "Kutilzis attacked Farah. Rabia is inside with her."

Xena whipped her head round and glared at the Adame. "It was  _him_." She pulled out her sword and Gabrielle creased her eyebrows, sharing the same look as the commander.

"What are you talking about?" Ana asked and then her mother walked back to the Adame in silence. "Mother!"

Gabrielle sighed heavily and looked at the worried queen and then heard Farah whimpering within the yurt. "Kutilzis...he…he killed them all –the women –they're all dead." She explained and all of the color drained from Ana's face. "Fairuza, Tuya, Leila, Bakkah, Handan. Kreka found them in the women's quarters this morning." She waited and Anastasia's mouth parted. "I'm sorry." She rose to her toes and kissed the queen's cheek then squeezed her shoulder. "I should go…with your mother." She slipped away, although was worried to leave her by herself after that bomb she just dropped on her.

Csaba walked back from the bathhouse and rubbed his wet hair with a small linen cloth and turned to see his mother standing outside of Marsa's yurt. He made his way over and saw tears streaming down her cheeks but she was silent. "Mom?" he waved his hand in front of her face and she gazed at her son. "Are you alright?"

She wiped her cheeks and nodded. He heard Farah talking to Rabia from within the yurt. Immediately he became concerned and frowned at his mother. "Why is Farah in there? Did something happen to her?"

"She…was attacked," she barely managed to say. That seemed like such a minor occurrence considering the amount of deaths behind closed doors. She couldn't imagine the looks on the men's faces or her own daughter's face when she was to find out that her grandmother and stepmother were dead.

Csaba threw down the linen and tried to side step his mother to enter the yurt and she put her hands on his shoulders. "I want to see her!" he demanded. He knew that men weren't allowed anywhere near a midwife but that didn't stop him. "Please mother. I want to see her."

She let go of his shoulders and stepped aside to allow him to pass. He brushed by her gently and made his way into the yurt. She buried her face in her palms and wagged her head. The amount of destruction that these Sabirs caused had gone too far. Suddenly, her lust for blood seemed to dwindle away as the pain induced by Boareks and her family, slowly invaded her space and home.

* * *

Ellac pushed Kutilzis on the floor within his quarters and Ernak grabbed his son who started to cry. The three boys stood up and looked at the Sabir who was trying to scurry away from the enraged king. Dengizich kicked the teenager down and Ellac looked at the sword Kutilzis was holding.

"That's Xena's sword. What are you doing with that?" Dengi asked.

He smirked. "Why don't you ask your wife?"

Ernak stood and shoved his son into Soran's arms. "Take Kurt and the others with you outside," he whispered in his ear. Soran worriedly glanced at the Sabir teen and held the heavy infant in his arms and walked out of the room with Talat and Toran.

Xena stormed in and pointed her sword at Kutilzis. "YOU!" her voice echoed. Attila's sons turned around and gawked at her. She approached the boy who now feared for his life. The sword in his hand no longer mattered. "You killed them." She said and Ellac looked at his brothers and stepped back. "It was you."

"Killed who?" Ernak asked and Gabrielle ran in breathing heavily. She looked at the fear in the Sabir's eyes and Xena threatening to skin him alive with her blade. "Killed who?!" he asked again and Xena's eyes darted to him and the look on her face said it all. He shook his head and felt ill all of a sudden, knowing that his wife was dead. He didn't need Xena to spell it out for him. He ran out of the room and Dengi looked at his elder brother with the same look of sorrow.

Gabrielle bowed her head when the prince eyed her. He felt like his throat was closing up and he clutched a fist to his chest, slowly stumbling backwards. The thought of sleeping with that woman behind Leila's back entered his mind. He thought of all the things he should have done and maybe Leila would have forgiven him and maybe…she'd be alive. He too ran out of the room, following Ernak.

Ellac scratched his beard and Kutilzis was focused on the commander glaring at him with those fiery eyes of hers. "Xena, what did this piece of shit do?" he asked.

"He killed all of the women, including Navaz's wife. You should go. I can handle it from here." She nudged her towards the door. The king saw the look on Gabrielle's face and knew that Xena wasn't lying about this. This wasn't a cruel trick and it was written all over Gabrielle's face –the truth.

Ellac stood over the Sabir and pointed his finger at him. "If Farah or my grandchild is harmed in any way, I will let the goats fuck your corpse." The boy's eyes were void of emotion, void of life, much like his mother's. "Have fun," he said with a smile and slapped Xena's shoulder.

Gabrielle walked over to the commander and eyed the sword in Kutilzis' hand. "We should keep him alive."

Xena scoffed. "Get real, Gabrielle. He murdered five women and hurt Farah! He's not walking out of here alive."

"Just hear me out," she raised her palms. "We keep him alive and use him against Boareks in war."

"She doesn't care about him."

The boy smiled. "I'm her favorite son. She was right about you Huns. You lie and steal." He spat at their feet and Xena slashed his arm and he hissed. It was the burned arm and she took a good look at the burn and knew how he got it.

"Leila poured hot tea on you," she crookedly grinned. "And then you slit her throat and stabbed her in the chest, didn't you?"

"Your people raped my mother!" he blurted out and Gabrielle raised her eyebrow.

"We didn't even know your people existed until this year," the governor tells him. "Who told you this lie?"

He breathed deeply and couldn't seem to get away from the sword in his face. He completely forgot about the stinging burn on his arm. By the expressions on their faces, he knew they weren't lying. He felt deceived by the Banat prisoner, Pascal. He was fed lies and he actually believed Pascal because he was so convinced that's why his mother hated the Huns but in reality, she hated them because that's the way she was. She hated everyone, even her own children.

"I…I…" he stammered.

"Words can't save you now, boy. I'm going to gut you."

Gabrielle grabbed her fiancée's arm. "Wait! We can still use him. Boareks might not care about her other sons but she will care about him."

"No!" she pushed the blade into Kutilzis' throat. "He needs to pay for what he did!"

"Killing me isn't going to bring your family back." He said with a wicked grin.

Xena's eyes enlarged and she cried out then plunged her sword into his stomach. Gabrielle gasped and covered her mouth. She looked at the boy's eyes and all the wicked senses in his body left and now he was faced with the fear of death. He wheezed, struggling to breathe and looked down at his bleeding gut and reared his head back on the floor and clenched his fists several times.

"It won't bring them back but it feels so…good." She winked at the teenager and intakes his last breath and his fists opened up. She pulled the blade out and bleed gushed out his wound. She turned to Gabrielle who was fuming inside. "I…I'm sorry but I had to, Gabrielle. He wasn't sorry for what he did. He killed women and now their children are without their mothers. I couldn't let him live."

Suddenly there was a switch that went off in Gabrielle. "Send his body to Boareks. She'll get the message."

"I like the way you think." Xena smiled and reached down to retrieve her sword. This sword killed five women and she felt somewhat responsible for this, but she thought her daughter was going to feel horrible. She allowed Kutilzis to stay here so close to the family members and he was keen on getting away from his mother, but apparently not. He came here with a vendetta or perhaps that vendetta was planted in his mind.

"I still don't understand why he killed the women."

"His mother was set on killing all of the Hun queens so he fulfilled her wish. Two queens are gone and Anastasia and Kreka are all we have left. He would have killed them too, but he was careless. There are too many people here."

Gabrielle glared at the dead Sabir boy and folded her arms, heaving deeply. "Now that Fairuza is dead won't that mean Arielle is the new queen?" she asks, knowing about the rules of the empire. Navaz was unlikely to find another wife to replace his previous one. She couldn't imagine a ten year old in charge of an entire empire surrounded by viziers to tell her what to do and how to conduct treaties either.

Xena felt the need to burn her sword and was disgusted by just touching it. "Arielle cannot be queen of Balaam." She shook her head, refusing to allow that to happen.

"But…it is a rule. Ellac became king at fifteen when Attila died. Arielle is next in line after Fairuza."

"She's ten years old! She doesn't care about politics! She doesn't even listen to Anastasia when given a command. Someone will have to take her place until she's old enough to take the crown." She scratched her scalp and looked at the boy's dark eyes gazing at the ceiling. "We need to get him out of here and delivered to Balaam. I'll put you in charge of that since it was your idea."

She paused and looked at the sword which was the cause of so many lives lost. "I need to help build the pyres."

* * *

In the center of the field all five women were laid out on the funeral pyres in their pristine gowns and kozaks covering their hair. All their wounds were patched and skin clean of any leftover blood. Each pyre was surrounded by the closest family members of the women. Anastasia, Xena and Gabrielle stood off to the side watching all of the children ogling their mothers and husbands gazing at their pale wives' faces.

The pyre in the middle of the five was Handan and her family stood all around her in a circle. Ebnedzar looked at his very young wife and thought what a different life she would have had if he didn't save her from a man she was to marry in Suevi long ago. He glanced over at his older and first wife, Ursula who was sobbing and who was also being comforted by their son, Oran. In fact, if it weren't for Ursula, Handan would have married a man twice her age and would remain trapped in an abusive marriage.

Ursula insisted that he save the girl and after refusing her three times, he finally relented and took Handan from her fiancé and took her into his home. Not long after, due to his wife's persistence, he married Handan only because Ursula couldn't have any more children after she had Oran and desired more children. It was easy to fall for Handan as she was very young and pretty.

Now, he had two young sons who were lucky enough to have Ursula to look after them. He couldn't speak for the other children in Pannonia.

Ernak draped his arm over Bakkah and looked at her lifeless face. She was last of the Khazar tribe but now the Khazars truly ceased to exist no thanks to the Sabir princes and queen. He wasn't married to Bakkah for very long and now he had a baby to take care of all by himself. He turned with red eyes to his mother holding Kurt in her arms. His son had no idea that he would never see his mother again and he was sleeping through it all with his head laying on Kreka's shoulder and drooling on her dress.

He wiped his cheeks and looked over at the next pyre and saw Dengi sobbing into Leila's chest. Ellac stood beside him with a hand on his back. Ernak frowned sadly and thought how horrible to lose a wife and a daughter years earlier. He had nothing and despite the recent marital problems that they had, Dengi very much loved Leila. Ernak suddenly felt very grateful to have his son with him.

Navaz stood in between the pyres of his mother and wife. He held Soran in his arm and Arielle held onto his hand. She rubbed her teary eyes and couldn't look at her grandmother's pale face or her stepmother either. Fairuza's neck was wrapped with a scarf to hide the heinous wound inflicted by Kutilzis.

Soran sniffled and breathed in and out unsteadily. "Did…did you find the person who did this?" he asks.

Navaz inhaled and nodded. "Xena killed him."

The boy looked over his father's shoulder at the commander and he tapped his father, demanding he be put down on the ground. He slid off his father and ran across the field. Navaz turned around and frowned at his son racing towards the commander.

Xena was focused on all of the men hovering over their wives and suddenly a small person crashed into her legs. She stumbled backward and looked down at Soran who had his arms wrapped around her, hugging her tightly. She looked over at Gabrielle who was at a loss for words then she looked at her daughter who shrugged her shoulder.

"Thank you," he whispered and wiped his nose on her pants.

She lifted a brow. "For what?"

"For killing the person who did that to my grandma and my mother." He lifted his tear stained face and she smiled and ran a hand over his dark hair.

A soldier came by with a large torch and handed it over to Anastasia. She thanked him quietly and walked over to Xena. "Mother." She extended the torch and Xena sighed then grabbed the torch and pried Soran's arms off her and he ran over to Anastasia and clung to her legs.

She walked to the center of the field and asked everyone to move away from the pyres.

* * *

Csaba sat on the floor with Farah inside of the midwife's yurt. Farah laid her head on his chest and he ran his fingers through her hair as they sat in silence for the last few hours together. Rabia was busy pacing around and proceeded to bother Marsa, asking questions and worrying over her little sister.

A melodious voice echoed throughout the entire field of Pannonia and Farah lifted her head. Csaba wrapped an arm around her and slowly slid out from underneath her and propped a pillow behind her back. Rabia stopped pacing and listened to the singing.

"What is that?" Rabia asked.

He peeked out from behind the yurt's curtain and saw his entire family standing in front of the burning pyres and smiled. "My grandmother."

Farah looked up at the ceiling and listened to Xena belting out a tune to honor the fallen. She grinned and brought the blankets over her legs. "She has a beautiful voice."

The air filled with smoke as the five pyres burned and Csaba leaned against the yurt, listening and watching. "Yes she does."

* * *

A couple of days later the wounds were still fresh and the entire Adame was incredibly quiet. Dengi and Ernak remained in their rooms while Ellac and Anastasia sat together in the conference room. Navaz sat across from them and Gabrielle was sitting next to Ana. All of their eyes were plastered on Arielle and the princess nervously fidgeted with her ringlet hair.

"Arielle," Gabrielle began in a soft tone. "I know this a lot for you to handle but this is very important and I want you to pay attention. Can you do that for us?" she felt like she was asking so much from this girl.

Arielle looked around the circle at her parents, Ellac and back to Gabrielle. She finally nodded and was handed a paper with language that she didn't understand. She grimaced at the formal political jargon and tried to understand it but didn't.

"Fairuza left everything to you so your father owns half of Balaam and so do you." The governor explained.

Arielle's eyes lit up and her squabbling over trying to comprehend the document seemed much less interesting at the moment. "Me?" she grinned and her mother frowned.

"Don't get too excited," Ana interjected. "You're too young to be a queen and rule an empire so –"

"Queen?!" she spat and her jaw dropped. "I am the queen now?" she asked and looked at her father who bowed his head.

"Legally yes, but you're too young. Someone is going to take your place until you're old enough for the position." She saw the instant disappointment on her daughter's face. "Your father decided to give the position to Queen Yeter for the time being so if you would please sign the paper." She grabbed the quill and waved it in her daughter's face.

Arielle frowned and looked at Gabrielle across from her. "Oran's new wife is going to be queen of Balaam?" she didn't like the sound of that.

"Only until you're old enough. Sign the paper, Arielle."

"Do I get to say anything about this?"

" _Arielle_!" Navaz hissed and she slumped her shoulders, feeling incredibly small. "Sign the damn paper." He grabbed the pen from Ana and shoved it in her face. She signed her name at the bottom of the document and Gabrielle smiled faintly and took it from her.

She blew on the wet ink and looked over the lengthy contract. "I will take this to Yeter so she can sign it then everything will be done."

Anastasia nodded. "Thank you, Gabrielle."

* * *

Farah sat in bed lying against a large pile of pillows. She had Csaba's grandmother staring at her and tending to her for the last couple of hours of the morning. Occasionally the two would share a look with each other and Farah would grin nervously. As much as she hated when Rabia fussed over her, she wished that her sister was here right now instead of the commander.

Xena smiled and grabbed a fresh bandage and attempted to lift Farah's dress but the Czarina shifted awkwardly. "I need to dress your wound, Farah. Let me see." She urged and the girl refused to move so Xena lifted up her dress and looked at the bandage across the gash on the side of Farah's belly. "You're lucky that this is a surface wound and it didn't cut deeper."

Farah nodded anxiously and the bandage was slowly taken off and she looked at the small gash. Xena gently smeared the ointment on the gash and Farah winced.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know." Xena lifts her eyes to the uncertain girl staring at her intensely.

"I'm not afraid of you. It's not that I don't appreciate your help but shouldn't you be in…the field or something?"

The commander smirked and grabbed a fresh bandaged and placed it over the wound and pressed her palm gently on the wound to secure the cloth. "I'm not always working in the field with the army and I made a promise to myself that I would always make time for the people I care about because you never know when they might slip away from you."

Farah cast a sad frown. "I can't believe that Kutilzis did that to all those women. He would have killed me if it weren't for the king. He saved me."

"Ellac cares about you. He wouldn't have let you die, I promise you that." She lowered Farah's dress and covered her with the blankets. "Out of all of Attila's sons, he is the softest one. He lets my daughter do whatever she wants, which isn't always the best idea, given how she can behave sometimes."

"But…they argue a lot," Farah noted.

"They've always been like that. You are lucky to have Anastasia as a mother in law. I wasn't exactly very kind to Ellac when she was pregnant with Csaba. I'm sure he's still afraid to be around me sometimes."

Farah chuckled and wrapped an arm over her belly. "Why is he afraid of you?"

"I tried to kill him." She said bluntly and the Czarina's eyes widened. "But as you can see, he is very much alive." She joked. "Well, I don't want to bore you. I'm sure your sister can watch over you now. If Csaba gives you a hard time, let me know." She winked and Farah hid a shy grin.

She walked towards the door and Farah sat up. "Xena!" she called and the commander turned around swiftly. "When you leave…to go to war with Queen Boareks, who will stay here?"

"Ernak is staying and so is Kreka. She will watch over you while we are gone." The fear in the girl's eyes made her laugh lightly. "There's no reason to be afraid of Kreka. She will take very good care of you and you have Rabia too."

Csaba entered the room with a large tray of food and he bumped into his grandmother. "Oh, what are you doing in here?"

Xena looked back at Farah. "I was just leaving." She passed him and grabbed his shoulder. "You take care of her or I will hurt you," she whispered and he nodded his head rapidly.

He rushed over and set the tray down on the bed in front of his wife with a big smile. Farah looked at the bowls of fruit and a large saucer filled with a white soup. She raised her eyebrow and examined the soup cautiously. She dipped the spoon in it and stirred around the incredibly thick soup.

"It's yogurt soup. It's good for the baby. That's what my mother said anyway." He sat down and encouraged her to eat it and she set the spoon down. "You're not even going to try it?"

She pushed the tray away. "The sight of yogurt makes me sick," she regretfully said and saw the defeat on his face. "You know what would be really great though." She grinned and he feared she was going to ask for something that he couldn't give her. "It would be nice to have fish."

He pursed his mouth and looked at his eager wife. "We don't have any fish in the kitchen right now. Nobody's gone fishing in the last week."

She grabbed his hands and widened her green eyes. "It would make me very happy," she coaxed him and he sighed. She pulled him closer and said, "It would make the baby very happy too." She lifted her brows and he lowered his eyes.

"Okay…" he grabbed the bowl of soup and got off the bed. "I'll be back later."

* * *

Xena walked across the field and met up with Gabrielle who was leaving Oran and Yeter's yurt with a parchment in her hand. "What's that?" she tried to grab the paper and Gabrielle spun around. She reached around and pinched the governor's arm and snatched the paper out of her hand. Gabrielle grumbled and Xena scoffed after she read the document. "Yeter is going to be queen instead of Arielle?"

"Navaz decided it." She took the paper back and rolled it up. "Arielle was not happy about giving her role as queen away to Yeter."

"Who would? She's a piece of work." Xena said with a snicker. "After Boareks receives her son's body, we move to Balaam to attack her. She will know that we are coming when the messengers come back."

Gabrielle folded her arms looking at her incredulously. "Those messengers aren't going to come back. I sent them on a death mission."

Xena nodded. "I have hopes, alright."

That was the only thing that bothered Gabrielle. It wasn't sending Kutilzis' body to the Sabir queen that bothered her. It wasn't even when he was killed by Xena that she felt bad. She felt remorse over sending those soldiers to Balaam knowing that they were never going to come back. At one point in her life she would have hated to see a child die but that Sabir prince caused so much destruction in one night. That's all it took one night.

Csaba walked quickly through the field and Gabrielle looked at the prince with a mission. "Csaba, where are you going?" she asked and Xena turned around.

"Fishing." He said with a bit annoyance in his tone.

"The water's freezing!"

"I'm aware." He grumbled and kept walking. "I'll be back in a few hours." He waved at them and kept his eye on the water beyond the trees.

"Why do I get the feeling that Farah is behind this?" Gabrielle said and looked up at the knowing commander. "That's so sweet of him to do that for her. He must really love her. Would you do that for me?" she hinted.

Xena sneered. "Pft, no. You won't catch me in a river at the beginning of winter."

"I'm really feeling the love," Gabrielle sarcastically said in a monotone voice.

"So here's what we do. We're going to ride to Balaam with our army and the Romans next week. Boareks should be expecting us. We will be taking ten catapults and the cannon. Since…Fairuza isn't here," she paused and Gabrielle rubbed her arm for comfort. "Navaz will be in charge of the archers. Ana and Ellac will be in charge of the ballistic line and I'll be in the front, giving the orders. You memorized all of the Chinese tactics, right?"

Gabrielle sighed. "Xena, you haven't really given yourself time to grieve."

"I don't have time to grieve, Gabrielle. I want Boareks dead. When she's dead then I will grieve."

"That doesn't seem very healthy."

"What are you? My psychologist?" she joked. "I'm fine, Gabrielle. Really."

"If you say so. I have to go give this to Navaz now. If you need to talk –"

"You're always there for me, I know." She kissed her forehead. "But right now, I am focused on ripping Boareks' head off her body."

"Wonderful imagery."

* * *

Navaz waltzed into Anastasia's room and she lifted her head as she was attempting to sew to distract herself. He lifted the paper in his hand and told her, "Yeter signed it." And she faintly grinned then continued to sew. "What are you making?" he curiously wandered over to the bed and she let out a huge defeated sigh.

"I'm trying to make an outfit for my grandchild," she lifted the half sewn outfit and Navaz chuckled. "This is really hard. I can't believe my mother made all of my outfits when I was a baby." She looked over at him and knew that he didn't want to talk about baby clothes.

"What am I going to do?" he buried his face into his palm.

Anastasia set the fabric aside and scooted close to him then wrapped an arm around him. "Soran is always welcome here. He can stay here with me. He likes me." She tried to make him feel better but that didn't work. "I'm sorry, Navaz. I liked Fairuza a lot. She was very nice and a great stepmother to Arielle. Tuya and I hardly got along but she was your mother and I  _know_  how difficult mothers can be." She joked and he let out quiet sobs. She frowned and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'll be here for you." she reached for his hand and laced her fingers with his.

He wiped his eyes and tapped the scroll in his palm. "Is it alright if…Soran stays here? I want him to be around Arielle."

"Of course he can stay!" she squeezed his hand. "He will have a great time here with the other children and besides, you have to rebuild Balaam and who knows how long that's going to take."

"Thank you." he kissed her hand. He grabbed the half sewn baby outfit and chuckled. "So, how's this coming along?"

"I don't have a gift for Farah so I want to make an outfit the baby. I'm not very good at this."

"It looks fine. Are you going to be able to finish it in time?"

She sighed. "I might ask my mother for help…" she felt embarrassed to even say that, but there was no way she would be able to finish within the next two months.

* * *

Boareks stepped out of the Adame as soon as one of her men came looking for her. Supposedly, there were Huns sent from Pannonia so she was eager to see what they had to offer. She hoped they would surrender to her considering they had nothing left but two tribes and they were incredibly far apart. She folded her arms as she walked out of the Adame and stared at the two Hun soldiers.

"What do you want?" she asked.

The two men grabbed Kutilzis' body off the horse and threw him onto the ground then took off the shroud which covered his face. Boareks paused and unfolded her arms. She walked down the stairs cautiously and she could see from afar, her son's dead body on the snowy field.

"The king and queen of Pannonia say they are ready for you." one of the men spoke with a malicious smile. She frowned and waved her hand at her men. The Sabirs approached the two Huns with swords and the Hun soldiers got on their horses and galloped through the snow before the Sabir swords could strike them.

She walked down the stairs and approached her son's corpse. She stood over him and crinkled her eyebrows together. His face was pale, blood soaked through his black vest. She knelt down and examined the gut wound and lifted an eyebrow. She had no knowledge of what he did in Pannonia nor did she care.

"More disappointment," she muttered and stood up, wrapping the black veil around her midnight tresses. She walked back towards the Adame and turned to one of her leading officers. "Get rid of his body."

"Shall I burn it, your majesty?"

"I don't care. Just get rid of him." She waved her hand and trailed up the stairs.


	27. Chapter 27

**This chapter really took a lot out of me lol. Good luck everyone.**

Chapter 27 – _Now We Are Free_

The Hun army rode into Balaam shortly after Boareks' received her son's corpse. Of course, as they expected, the Sabir queen and her army were waiting for them. Xena and Gabrielle lead the entourage and Ana followed with Ellac. In the back, Navaz and Dengi rode together with the archers. As soon as they came to the outskirts of snowy Balaam, Xena surveyed the field filled with Sabirs. She noticed the cannons and there wasn't one but five of them. One more than Gabrielle counted during the attack in Banat.

Ellac and Anastasia trotted to the front and rested beside the commander and governor. Ana adjusted her fur kozak and put on the black leather gloves to protect her hands from the frigid cold. She now realized how much she hated in Balaam so long ago. The winters here were unbearable but she knew that the Sabirs were used to even harsher winters than Balaam had to offer.

Xena raised her hand and pointed to the left and to the right signaling for the army to get into position. Anastasia whistled at the men pulling the catapults and pointed to the back of the fleet. The young recruits pulled the massive catapults to the back through the thick snow just as instructed. The cannon that Farah helped construct, was hidden in the back of the army. Gabrielle had suggested that the weapon should be saved and serve as a surprise for the Sabirs.

"Where is she?" Gabrielle whispered and put on her fur gloves and brushed the green veil attached to her headdress, behind her shoulders. Boareks was known to make great escapes but there was no way she could run now. Her entire army was waiting at the front in full battle gear.

Xena squinted her eyes, scanning the entire field and waited patiently. The thick air of the mountains made it hard for her to breathe. Her lungs felt tight and she was sure that everyone else felt the same as she heard some of her men coughing and hacking behind her. She counted the Sabir army and Boareks had about eight hundred men while the Huns had over one thousand men, including the Romans, at their disposal. She eyed the Adame and the Sabir flag mounted at the top. Boareks certainly took over quickly and made Hun territory hers over and over again.

Gabrielle was not one to be impatient but her nerves were getting the best of her. She too, took count of the Sabirs and nudged Xena's arm. "She doesn't have a lot of men. This will be easy."

Anastasia trotted ahead of everyone and spotted Boareks riding out on a huge black stallion, clad in a dark veil, black armor and a cape that draped over the back of the horse's rear. "There she is," she pointed ahead and smiled, ready to attack the woman, even if it meant going against her mother's word.

The Sabir queen halted her horse in the back of her legion and stared at the queen opposite her. She smiled and Anastasia's upper lip quivered. Suddenly she saw several other men emerge from the mountains and her eyes widened and slowly she backed away on the horse. Over two thousand Byzantine men appeared and filled the entire field. Before, Balaam was a field of white and now it was a sea of black.

Xena's eyes darted to all of the Byzantines popping up like weasels and panicked. Now they were more than outnumbered. One thousand to almost three thousand. Ellac ran his hand over his face, seeing his life flashing before his eyes.

"We're fucked." He said aloud and the three women sent him wicked glares.

"Always one step ahead, aren't you?" Xena bobs her head, laughing quietly at her own demise.

Gabrielle raised her hand. "There's only one of her and six of us. It doesn't matter how many men she has. We can defeat her."

"I say we aim the catapults at her," Ana suggests.

Dengi nodded. "I second that."

"We are not aiming at her!" Xena growled. "We attack the Byzantines with the Chinese tactics Csaba taught Gabrielle. They won't know the strategies. It will catch them off guard."

"But she has five cannons." He noted and stared at the huge machines in the back of Boareks' fleet.

"Busra said that she uses those last," she argued. "We will go in head first and use archers. That will knock out at least two of her legions." She looked over at the governor. "You have the orders written down?" she asked and Gabrielle pulled out her notepad and gave her a thumbs up. "Alright, your call, Gabrielle. Tell me the first order."

Gabrielle's cheeks paled and Xena waited on the horse, glaring at the Sabir queen who had a big grin on her face. She nervously looked at the ten orders that Csaba taught her and now that she was in the field, she choked. Everything was riding on her at this very moment and if she regretted casting herself as the officer of the Roman army, she certainly regretted it even more now.

"Gabrielle. The order."

"Um." She looked at the amount of the Byzantines and stared at her notepad, trying to figure out what would be the best way to enter this war. "Order four." She concluded.

Xena nodded and held up four fingers to the Romans. They spread out quickly and formed three legions in the front, holding their shields and swords, ready to attack. "Anastasia, you know what to do with the catapults, right?"

Ana was fixated on the Sabir queen and Xena furrowed her eyebrows. "Anastasia!" she yelled and the queen turned. "The catapults." She nudged her head behind her. Ana nodded and trotted over to the ballistic line with Ellac. "Do not fire until I tell you to."

* * *

Boareks looked at the strange formation of the Huns and turned to her officer. "Kiral, do you recognize this formation?"

"Not that I can recall, my queen." he frowned and looked at the Romans and Huns lined up in three rows in three boxes spread across the field. He trotted towards the mass amounts of archers. "Fire at the front legion." He ordered the superior archer.

The Sabirs knelt down and pulled their bows tautly and aimed high into the air to get a clear shot at the front line. They released over five hundred arrows and Boareks waited patiently. She then saw all of the Romans panic and lift their eyes up at the sky filled with black arrows.

* * *

"Shields!" one of the Romans yelled and they created a protective barrier against the arrows.

Xena furrowed her eyebrows and several of her men were shot through their legs and chests and fell to the ground by the large sum of arrows. She saw the Sabirs reloading their bows and turned to Navaz. He waved his hand and got off his horse and ran to the five hundred archers he had with him and yelled at them to load their bows quickly as possible before the Sabirs got a chance to shoot another round.

Anastasia had her arms folded as she stood behind the ballistic weapons line with her husband. Ellac shook his head and Navaz's archers released hundreds of arrows at the Sabirs. Their eyes traveled the arrows and they landed only a few feet away from the Sabir army, not even making a dent.

"We need to move closer!" Navaz yelled and Xena nodded.

Ana stared at the catapult in front of her, completely loaded. She grabbed a torch from one of the recruits and shoved him aside. She clashed some rocks together to create a spark and lit the torch. Ellac turned to his wife and she lit the fuse in the back of the catapult.

"Anastasia!" he yelled and she pulled the rope and released the trebuchet.

Gabrielle and Xena turned and watched in horror as the bomb flew through the sky and landed in the middle of a Byzantine fleet. The Huns fell silent until the bomb hit and Xena whipped her around at her daughter.

"I told you to wait for my signal!" she hissed and Anastasia smiled, holding the torch in her hand.

Gabrielle saw the rest of the Byzantines charging for them. "Xena…" she grabbed her arm. "Xena!" she said and the commander turned and saw the sea of black coming towards them. "Give the order!" she pleaded frantically.

Xena groaned and lowered her arm and the drums were sounded in the back of the army by a few young recruits. The first two legions of Romans walked slowly with their shields hiding their faces. They were able to peek behind the huge shields at Justinian's men charging at them with spears and swords faced forward.

* * *

Boareks raised her eyebrow at the slow approaching Romans and then saw the Hun commander raise her hand at the left legion of Huns waiting on the sidelines. She then pointed her arm to the left and Boareks' eyes widened when the Huns on horseback came from both sides to ambush her men, but the Byzantines were too focused on the Romans ahead to see the Huns from the sides.

She grabbed officer Kiral by his collar and pulled him close. "She's using Emperor Liu's tactics!" she spat in his face. Her eyes watched in fear as the Huns collided with the Byzantines before they even got a chance to attack the oncoming turtle-like Romans. She growled and watched her ally's men being slaughtered one by one.

Anastasia and Ellac were busy loading the catapults and Boareks watched the couple yell at the young men in charge of the weapons. All ten catapults launched and set the snowy field aflame. Kiral swallowed and the entire field of men's blood covers the snow and men running around set on fire.

"Your majesty, what should we do now?"

She breathed heavily and eyed the commander and governor talking and they were preparing another command for the army. "Use order two," she demanded.

"Order two? Your highness, we only use that when we don't have enough men. Emperor Liu only uses that when he is desperate."

"Do it!" she snarled and he regretfully rode to the opposite side of the army to instruct the men to carry out order two like his queen demanded.

* * *

Gabrielle looked at the Sabirs forming in a huge circle around the compound and looked down at her notepad. Her finger ran down the parchment and she lifts her eyes to see the circle of Sabirs completely enclosing the Huns, Romans and Byzantines.

"She's using order two," she said.

Xena looked at the paper and was miffed. "So, what do we do now? You're in charge here."

The governor inhaled deeply and went through all of the scenarios but none seemed like a good idea right now. She did remember that Csaba mentioned the best way to avoid a complete ambush was to use, "we should use order six."

Xena nodded and held up six fingers at the Romans waiting on the sidelines and they mounted their horses and galloped down the hill to approach the huge circle of Sabirs. "You should take my job." She jests.

"Now is not the time for your inappropriate jokes, Xena." She said and added an eye roll. As the army ran into formation to attack the Sabirs and Byzantines, Gabrielle couldn't help but laugh at Boareks across the field. "She's mad. Look at her face."

She overlooked the armies fighting one another and saw Boareks yelling at her officer. "Finally, we are one step ahead of her." She raised her hand and Gabrielle hand's met hers in midair.

* * *

Csaba walked through the hall that leads into the women's quarters and a few men carried out the large rugs that used to be in the room. He ducked underneath a rug that the men were carrying and waltzed inside to find Kreka ordering the men to pick up every single rug and carry them out to be burned. The khatun turned around and faintly smiled at the prince.

"I don't think we have any extra rugs…" he says.

She nodded and the last of the rugs was carried out of the room and she approached him then placed a hand on his shoulder. "I want you to go to west Pannonia and buy four rugs and have them delivered here."

Csaba sighed. "Alright. Is it okay if Farah comes with me?"

"Absolutely not."

"But Kreka, she is so bored and she's…" he grabbed her arm and whispered, "she's driving me crazy." She snickered and walked off and he followed her. "Please? I think it would be good for her to get out of the Adame for awhile. Her wound is practically healed now and she won't stop bugging me. Please, khatun?"

"Alright!" she yelled. "She can go but take Oran with you."

* * *

He instantly regret his decision to allow Farah to come along with him because the moment he told her that they were traveling west, she took ages to get ready. She had to make sure her hair was combed correctly and of course she had to pick the perfect dress. Although, no matter how many times he told her that she looked beautiful, it was never enough for her.

Csaba stopped and held onto the horse's reins and Oran walked up beside him. "So, where's this man with the rugs?" Oran asked.

He sighed and gazed at all the merchants in the square and several were selling jewelry and fabric. He pulled the horse along and Farah held onto the saddle and ogled the jewels as they passed them by. "Csaba!" she called and he groaned inwardly. "Can we look at the necklaces?"

"Not now, Farah. I was ordered to find rugs not jewelry."

"Oh please, Csaba." She tried to get off the horse and Oran ran over and picked her off the saddle and set her on the ground. She scowled at the shaman Hun and brushed by him then immediately went over to the merchant with the jewelry. The elderly merchant smiled at her and she picked up a silver necklace and held it in her palms. "How beautiful."

Csaba tapped his foot impatiently and Oran chuckled. "Go on cousin, I will watch her for you. Go find those rugs." He waved his hand and the annoyed prince left the horse behind and hurried through the square to find these rugs that seemed to be hidden in plain sight. Oran turned around and watched as Farah picked up each set of jewelry.

The merchant was captivated by her beauty and completely engrossed by her infectious smile. He pointed to the emerald stones. "This set is from Egypt."

Farah's eyes widened and she grabbed the emerald necklace. "Egypt? This is very beautiful. How much is it?"

Oran rolled his eyes and the merchant gave a warm smile. "Five hundred dinari."

She seemed alright with the price and Oran hissed. "Ouch!" he stepped forward and placed a hand on the merchant's table. "You would charge the king's daughter in law full price? Bad business move on your part, sir."

The man's face paled and looked at Farah's bright green eager eyes. "Forgive me; I had no idea that you were a princess of Pannonia." He bowed his head. "A gift from me to you." he urged her to take the emerald necklace and she gasped.

"Really? How kind of you." she held the necklace in her hand and smirked at Oran. "Thank you that was very smart of you."

He scoffed. "He should only be charging two hundred anyway." He turned and saw a group of blonde men huddled together, hauling at least six rugs into a wagon. He raised his eyebrow and Csaba came running back, breathing heavily and his cheeks flushed due to the cold breeze.

"I can't find those damn rugs anywhere!" he folded his arms and glanced over at Farah wearing a necklace. "You bought jewelry?"

"I didn't buy it! This merchant gave it to me. Isn't that nice of him?"

Csaba looked over at the merchant and frowned. "Uh huh."

"I think I found your rugs," Oran nudged his cousin and pointed at the blonde men.

Csaba's blood boiled when he saw those men hauling away the rugs that he desperately needed. "What are Visigoths doing here?" he snarls. "And why are they taking all of the rugs? I'm going to have a few words with them."

"No!" Oran grabbed his cousin. "You're going to cause a scene and Farah is with you. We should go back and tell Ernak and Kreka Khatun."

"Fine." He walked over and grabbed Farah's hand and lead her to the horse. "We're going back."

She frowned and was escorted to the horse. "But I thought you were buying rugs?"

"Change of plans."

Before she got onto the saddle she spotted the group of Goths with a full wagon of rugs. "They have all the rugs. We should bargain with them." She smiled and shoved Csaba aside and Oran's jaw dropped as he watched the Czarina march over to the Visigoths.

"Wow, your wife doesn't know how to take no for an answer."

Farah walked over to the chatty Visigoths and cleared her throat. "Excuse me." She grabbed their attention and all of them turned and fell silent. They gazed her gorgeous face and shiny wavy black hair and a black fur coat to match. "It appears that you have bought all of the rugs in the market. I need four of them."

One of the Visigoths chuckled. "Is that so? And you just expect me to give them to you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll pay you for them. You have more than enough rugs. I only acquire four."

Csaba ran over and wrapped an arm around her. "Farah, it's fine. We can get the rugs another time."

"No, Csaba. Kreka said we need four rugs and we aren't coming back without them." She said defiantly and turned to the Goths. "So, how much do you want for them?"

The Goths looked at each other and smiled. "Prince Csaba of the Huns?" one of them asked and Csaba looked away. "Your woman is quite bold." He folded his arms. "We would be happy to deliver the rugs to the Adame."

Farah smiled. "Great."

Csaba frowned at the men. "That's kind of you but we don't need your services…"

"But Csaba, we need the rugs."

"Yes, prince, you must really need these expensive rugs. Allow us to haul them for you."

* * *

The mountains, daylight was not on the Huns' side. During the winter the sun set much sooner than anywhere else. So far, the Byzantines were almost completed obliterated but the Sabirs were like roaches and didn't seem to dwindle away. Xena was growing impatient as she stood on the snow with her arms folded watching her army attack the Sabirs with arrows, swords, spears, shields, catapults –everything.

Gabrielle had pulled all of the orders that Csaba gave her and that bought them some time and left more than half of the Byzantines in the snow. Now the war was focused inward and she was worried that catapults weren't going to keep the Sabirs away. They even tried to climb up the hill and attack the elite soldiers.

Anastasia and Ellac continued to man the ballistic line but they were exhausted from yelling and loading the machines, which was non-stop. Ana looked at the Sabir queen who was unguarded and not on her horse anymore, but in the back of her fleet, commanding the archers. She smiled and looked over at Navaz's horse and the bow strapped to his back.

She turned to her husband who pulled on the rope to launch another catapult. She made a rash decision and ran for Navaz's horse and jumped aboard. She kicked the horse and rode towards Navaz and snatched the bow and cluster of arrows hanging on his back then galloped down the hill.

He grabbed his shoulder and felt his bow was missing then swiftly turned to see Anastasia riding into the thick of the battle. "Anastasia!" he yelled.

Xena heard her daughter's name and glanced down in the center of the field where the bombs hit the ground. Her daughter rode through the explosions and evaded the Sabirs trying to attack her. "Stop firing!" she yelled at Ellac.

"Xena, we can't stop firing or they will climb the hill," Gabrielle advised.

Dengi shook his head at Ana who was weaving through the corpses and kicking Sabirs down. "Crazy woman."

"That stupid girl." The commander mumbled and mounted her horse.

Gabrielle frowned and saw her about to head into the field. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to save my daughter before she gets herself killed." She kicked the horse and rode around the field to avoid any attacks and bombs heading her way.

"Be careful!"

* * *

Ana rode through the field and loaded the bow and aimed at Boareks. She squinted one of her eyes and focused her aim. She released the arrow and smiled excitedly but that soon passed when the Sabir woman caught the arrow and shot her a glare. She breathed deeply and loaded another arrow and shot another which Boareks caught.

She huffed and grabbed another.

And another.

And she reached behind her and she was out of arrows. She threw the bow aside and galloped up the hill. On her way up she was met with a few Sabirs and drove the sword into their chests and jumped off the horse and adjusted the fur kozak and grinned at Boareks. She lifted her sword and the Sabir queen raised her eyebrow.

"Queen Anastasia, so glad we could meet again."

"Not going to make another great escape, are you?"

Boareks smiled and pulled out her blade ready for this fight which was going to be easy, so she thought. "How is your daughter? The one with the red hair."

The memory of Cera's throat slit by the woman came rushing back and Anastasia's eyes flickered. She charged at the Sabir and swung wildly, but Boareks' sword clashed with hers, avoiding every blow. She was kicked in the abdomen and stumbled backward, heaving deeply.

Boareks frowned and kicked Ana's jaw with her boot and then shoved her backward a few feet with another jolt to her gut. Ana spat out blood and wrapped an arm around her waist and slowly rose up only to get socked in the nose.

"You are the daughter of the infamous commander yet I see her training did not pay off." She swung her arm around and Anastasia caught her hand and wrapped her fingers around it. She smiled and grabbed Boareks' wrist and forcefully pushed her backwards. Their eyes met only inches away and then Anastasia reared her head backward and head butted her in the forehead.

Boareks moaned and then Ana grabbed her cheeks and head butted her again. She fumbled backwards and then shook her head and glared at the Hun queen. She eyed the Hun woman's boots and crookedly smiled then swung her sword and slit through the boots where Ana's achilles heel was and she fell to her knee, hissing in agony. Blood seeped through her thick tights and she heaved deeply, glaring up at the Sabir.

She grabbed Ana by her headdress and kneed her in the jaw and threw her aside. Anastasia groaned and then was drug over to the fire pit by her long hair and Boareks lifted her to her knees. Ana gasped and Boareks pushed her face closer to the fire, but resisted by countering her weight and Boareks grinned, pushing her cheek closer and closer to the fire. Ana closed her eyes and felt the heating radiating against the side of her face.

Struggling through the pain, she lifted her arm and painfully dug her hand into the molten fire and picked up a few coals and threw them in Boareks' face. The Sabir queen screamed and let go of her hair and Anastasia plopped onto her back, breathing heavily. She clutched her scorched gloved hand close to her chest and exhaled deeply.

She saw a sword diving down towards her face and she rolled over and Boareks' sword stabbed the snowy ground. She crawled across the snow, holding her scorched hand to her chest and dragging her bleeding ankle slowly.

Boareks pulled her sword out and walked over to the Hun and grabbed her by the cape and drug her backward with a malicious smile. She drove her sword into Ana's calf and a loud agonizing scream echoed throughout the mountains.

Xena rode up the hill and saw her daughter crying and screaming. She jumped off the horse and the Boareks was about to drive her sword into Ana's spine. "Boareks!" she yelled and the Sabir lifted her head.

The Sabir queen eyed the defeated Hun below her and kicked her aside. Ana rolled over onto her back and moaned in pain. She walked over to the commander and Xena pulled out two swords from their sheaths.

"The commander of the Huns. Everyone speaks so highly of you." Boareks mused. "I would have thought fighting your daughter would have been a challenge, but I guess not."

Xena cocked her head to the side and quickly eyed her ailing daughter. "She's not  _me_."

The two circled around one another and Boareks swung her sword and Xena blocked it easily. She swung again and again, it was blocked and then she was throat punched by Xena's elbow. She croaked and gripped her throat, gasping for air desperately.

"What's the matter, Boareks? Lost for words?" she kicked her in the gut and the Sabir struggled to breathe and fell to her knees, clutching a hand around her damaged esophagus. She stomped on the woman's hand and crushed her fingers into the snow. Boareks' eyes widened and heard bones cracking underneath the commander's boot.

Xena grabbed the veil on the Sabir's head and reared her head backwards and held the sword to her throat. "This is for Cera." She slit her throat in the same spot where Cera's inflicted wound was and Boareks' big brown eyes enlarged twice their size. Xena kicked her to the ground and then plunged her sword into her gut.

"And that's for Tuya." She pulled the sword out and blood gushed from Boareks' wound. She went in a second time but through the center of her chest. "And that's for Leila." She pulls the blade out and drove it in the center of her sternum.

"And that's for Bakkah and Handan." She smiled and blood poured out of the Sabir queen's mouth, dribbling down her chin and neck.

"Oh  _and_ ," she pulled the sword out one last time and lifted it high into the air. "This is for Fairuza." She cried out and plunged the blade in the center of Boareks' throat. She drove it in as deep as possible into the snow beneath the queen until she saw the life fade from the evil brown eyes below her.

Xena stepped away from the queen and the smile was wiped from her face now that she finally saw the woman whom she hated, dead in front of her. She looked at the flag swaying in the gentle breeze and now they were losing sunlight at this point. She stepped over Boareks and ripped down the flag and waved it in the air at the Huns on the opposite side of the field. Gabrielle cast a big smile and waved at the men to stop fighting.

She ripped the flag in half and threw it on top of the Sabir queen's body. She grinned and Ellac waved his hand at the drummers to sound the call of the war ending. Xena waved at everyone and then turned to her daughter who was still lying in the snow, incredibly injured.

She rushed over and dropped to her knees. Anastasia's eyes fluttered and Xena cupped her face. She examined the redness on one side of her daughter's face and blood pouring out onto the snow from the calf wound and Achilles heel.

Hurriedly, she took off her winter coat and ripped the sleeve of her blouse and wrapped her daughter's leg and her heel as well. Anastasia coughed and winced at the soreness of her ribs and innards screaming out at her.

"Did you…kill her?" she asks softly.

Xena smiled and adjusted the fur headdress on her daughter's head. "It's over." She reassured her and Ana faintly grinned and nodded. "Just what did you think you were doing?" she felt the need to chastise her and Ana forced a laugh which only brought more pain.

"I…was trying to save my people."

Xena shook her head and kissed her daughter's forehead. She lifted her head and Gabrielle trotted towards them and dismounted the horse and dropped to her knees. "Are you alright?" she asked Ana and the queen nodded. "Is Boareks dead?"

"Yes she is." Xena answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, I'm positive." She smirked and reached over, wrapping a palm around the blonde's neck and kissed her generously. Anastasia raised her eyebrow at the scene above her and pushed her mother away.

"Alright, alright." She protested and Gabrielle pulled away from the commander and wiped the corners of her mouth. "Where is…Ellac?"

"He's here," Gabrielle said and touched the side of Ana's face. "I love you but don't ever do something stupid like that again."

Anastasia raised her uninjured hand. "I promise…" she took in a deep painful breath and closed her eyes.

* * *

Well into the night, Xena and Gabrielle stood in front of the Adame while Ellac and Dengi were busy rounding up the last of the Byzantines and Sabirs. Navaz and a few Hun soldiers walked up to them and threw Boareks' body onto the ground. Gabrielle took a good look at the woman's mutilated body and cringed in disgust. She wasn't sure if she was disgusted by the wounds or by the sight of the heinous woman.

"What do you want us to do with her?" asks Navaz.

It would be so easy to chop up the woman's body and leave her for the wolves in the mountains. Xena took in a deep breath and folded her arms. "Build a funeral pyre for her."

The White king scoffed. "Are you serious?"

"She's still a human being. She deserves a proper burial." She said and Navaz gaped at her with his dark brown eyes. "I'm sure someone will love her in hell." She said smarmily and he nodded then whistled at the soldiers to carry off the corpse.

Gabrielle smiled smugly and elbowed her fiancée's ribs. "You showed her kindness even after all that she has done."

"That wasn't an act of kindness, but an act to preserve my sanity." She turned to the governor and gave a weak smile. "Kutilzis was a bright boy. He could have strayed away from his mother's teachings and hatefulness but he was blinded by a lie. He deserved so much more in life."

Gabrielle bowed her head in a moment of silence.

"Do you think I did the right thing by killing him?"

What a tough question to ask and be put on the spot too, the blonde thought. "I think…you did what you thought was best at the time."

"Still." Xena looked at the snow glistening in the moonlight. "He was a child."

"A child who murdered five women," she quickly added. "It's not his fault he ended up the way that he did. I mean, look who he had as a role model."

Xena sighed heavily. "I suppose I should forgive him."

Gabrielle's eyes darted to the commander who not only showed an act of kindness to a horrible person, but was willing to forgive a person who wiped out an entire line of queens and princesses. It was obvious that killing a child weighed heavily on her.

"When you're ready." She smiled and hooked arms with her. "By the way, what are we going to do with all of these Sabirs?"

Xena snorted. "Who cares? That's Navaz's problem now." She only admitted half jokingly. "Hey, you did a great job today. You want to trade jobs?"

Gabrielle laughed. "Yeah right. You hate writing and reading documents. I highly doubt you would enjoy doing my job."

"You're right. The quill isn't for me."

"You wouldn't last one day as governor."

"Don't have faith in me?"

"I'd be lying if I said I did." She teased.

Dengi ran outside with two bottles of wine. "Hey!" he yelled from the Adame and they turned around. "I found the bitch's stash of wine! Are we going to drink this or what?!"

* * *

Farah sat on the bed and nursed a cup of tea while her husband nervously paced around the room. Days later from leaving the market and he was still disturbed by the fact that she went up to the Visigoths to negotiate rugs with them.

"I…didn't know they were Visigoths," she murmured.

"Well now you do." He said sternly and kept pacing. He rubbed his fingers along his clean cut beard. "They know who you are now!"

"We got the rugs," she tried to sound positive. "And we didn't even have to pay them!"

He cast a mean look at her and she leaned back on the pillows and set the glass of tea that went cold, aside. "I can't believe you did that, Farah. The Goths aren't our friends despite what deal my grandmother made with them! Don't you ever do that again!"

She frowned and began whimpering quietly. He paused and heard her soft cries and exhaled. "Farah," he sat on the bed. "Don't cry please." He rubbed her arm. "I didn't mean to yell at you, I just…I just don't trust the Visigoths and they were being awfully nice." He lifted her chin and wiped her tears away. "Before you go making deals with enemies, you should ask me first."

"Okay…" she says meekly and wiped her cheeks. "They're not going to attack us are they?"

"I think Ernak scared them off," he laughed. "I can't believe you did that. You weren't afraid of them."

She shrugged her shoulder. "They didn't look that scary to me."

"Our room is almost finished. We can decorate our baby's room together." He traced his finger down her arm. "Your sister can help and my mother would love to help too."

"I hope your mother is alright."

"She's fine. I know she is." He kissed her hand and felt it was rather warm. "Do you feel okay? You're really warm." He touched her forehead. "Are you sick? Should I get Rabia? We spent too much time outside in the cold." He cursed himself.

"Csaba, don't worry. It's just a small fever."

"No, no. I'll get Rabia. Stay here and don't move." He gently pushed her against the pillows.

"But –"

"Don't move!" he pointed at her and she sunk down in the bed, heeding his words.

* * *

Xena sat on the bed within the room that used to belong to her daughter ten years ago. She ran her hand over her daughter's face and looked at all the bandages wrapped around her torso, leg, ankle and her burned hand.

"Are you feeling better?"

Anastasia nodded and sat up in the bed. "We've been here for a week. Can we go back to Pannonia now?"

"We'll go back tomorrow morning. You shouldn't really be riding a horse with all of your injuries though." She advised but her daughter shrugged it off. "But I know I won't be able to stop you. Just promise me you won't ride back in a wild fury."

"Oh I promise." She winced and looked at her wrapped hand. "Does my face really look that terrible?"

Her mother forced a smile. "Well, your nose is still a bit mangled and your cheek is still very red but you look beautiful." She pat her shoulder.

Anastasia frowned. "So I look awful." She presumed. "I don't want my children to see me like this."

"They'll love you no matter what, Ana. Besides, you're still alive and you can tell Cera that Boareks is dead. Don't you want to see the look on her face? She's going to be very proud of you."

"But I didn't kill her. You did."

Xena pursed her mouth and looked into her daughter's big eyes. "You rode through a fiery field and risked your life to kill her. You deserve points for that." She playfully and lightly threw a punch to the queen's shoulder.

"So…" Ana traced her fingers on the silk sheets. "I heard you and Gabrielle talking." She hinted with a smug grin and her mother turned her cheek shyly. "You two want to get married and you didn't tell me!" she punched her mother's arm.

"I wanted to wait until this war was over."

"Well, it's over. So, can I plan the wedding? What can I do? Are you wearing a dress? I heard you made Gabrielle a veil. Did you make one yourself too? Is she wearing a dress?"

"Anastasia!" she snapped and raised her hand to quiet her down. "I don't want to make a big deal out of this. Nobody else knows except for Kreka."

Ana rubbed her chin. " _Kreka_. I'll kill her for keeping this from me. Please, mom, I want to help. When we get back I have so much to do. I can plan everything for you. Oh and then I have Farah's serata senlik thing…I will be very busy. So many parties!" she smiled gleefully. "Oh and Cera's birthday how could I forget that?"

Xena groaned and massaged her temples. "I don't want to put you through any trouble, Ana. Really, I don't want a huge party."

"Forget it. We're having a big party and you're going to like it."

Gabrielle walked into the room and saw a big smile on Ana's face. "Navaz is keeping the Sabirs here as long as they behave themselves." She says and approaches the bed. Ana had a certain look in her eyes but she tried to ignore it. "And the Byzantines are going back to Constantinople and…" she paused. "What's up with her?"

"She knows…" Xena mumbled.

Anastasia's grin widened. "I know  _everything_  and I'm going to throw a huge party for you two!"

"Really? You don't have to do that."

"Please. You've been hanging around my mother too much." She jabbed and then realized what she said and how stupid it sounded aloud. "Anyway, I want to help and you two can't stop me. I'll take a break from my queenly duties for awhile. This is the best year ever. Except for the Sabir army and Boareks." She sighed. "My mother is getting married to you," she slapped a hand on the governor's knee. "My son is having a baby and I'm still alive and Boareks is dead."

"That's very nice of you, Ana. Thank you." Gabrielle grinned and looked over at the grumpy commander. "Don't be such an old lady, Xena."

"For the last time, I am not  _old_."

* * *

Now that the new rugs were placed in the women's quarters, everyone was allowed inside but it felt rather empty with everyone missing. All of the children seemed to be doing better and Ernak did a great job by distracting all of the boys. Kreka sat with her grandson in her lap and Rabia sat next to her little sister while Arielle and Cera ate across from the two Czarinas.

Farah sniffled and wiped her nose, trying to get rid of the cold she had for the last week. Much to her demise, her sister kept trying to feed her and food didn't seem very appetizing to her right now but she knew that she would get a lecture if she didn't eat and the lecture wouldn't come from just her sister but also the khatun. She didn't like making her angry and decided to eat the soup that was made for her.

Arielle dipped her bread in the pepper paste and kept gawking at Farah. The Czarina frowned and set the spoon in the bowl of half eaten soup. "What?" she asked the obtrusive princess.

"You're huge!" she blurted out and Kreka tried not to laugh at the girl's outburst.

Farah gasped and glared at the sassy princess. "I am  _not_  huge!"

Arielle grinned and toyed with her. "Yes you are."

"I am not."

"Yes you are."

Rabia tried not to laugh at her sister's anger. "Okay, okay." She put an end to the argument and Arielle kept smiling at Farah. She pinched her sister's thin arm. "No matter how much you eat you don't seem to gain weight anywhere."

"Yeah except for in one particular spot," Arielle chided and Kreka slapped her arm. "Ow!"

War drums sounded outside and Cera threw down her spoon and got off the floor and ran outside the room. Arielle grinned and tossed her linen cloth on her unfinished food. "They're here!" she yelled throughout the Adame. "They're here!"

* * *

The girls ran outside and Anastasia waved at her daughters with her uninjured hand. Ellac jumped off the horse and helped off the saddle carefully. Arielle and Cera ran towards her and Ellac stopped them before they crashed into their mother.

"Be careful. She's hurt."

Arielle's face contorted in concern as did Cera. "Hurt badly?"

"Just a little bit." Ana said and stretched her arms outward and they gently wrapped their arms around her and she squeezed them tightly. "I missed you two so much." She kissed the tops of their heads.

"Did you kill the Sabir lady?" asked Arielle.

"Well actually, your grandmother did." She lifted her head and stared at her mother who handed her horse off to a stable boy.

Arielle ran over to the commander and governor. "How'd you do it, grandma? Did you chop her head off? Did you cut off her legs?"

Xena cringed. "Okay, no more listening in on your mother's conversations with me." She covered her granddaughter's ears.

"Aw, come on!" she whined. She looked around and pulled her grandmother's hands off her ears. "Where's my father?"

"He's in Balaam. He's going to stay there and rebuild for awhile." Xena ruffled her curly hair.

Ellac picked up Cera in his arms and kissed her forehead. She giggled and wrapped her arms around him. He lent a hand to his wife and she graciously stood up as best as she could. "Where's your brother and Farah? I want to see them."

Arielle sneered. "Oh Farah's inside and Csaba is with Oran hunting."

Gabrielle yawned. "I don't know about everyone else but I'm exhausted."

"Me too." Xena was eager to get away and they slowly slipped away from the little reunion. Arielle ran over and followed them. She squeezed herself in between them and held both of their hands.

"So, are you gonna tell me how you killed that Sabir queen?" she asked again.

Xena rolled her eyes. "No, Arielle."

"Come on, just tell me!"

"Not going to happen."

"Not even a little bit?"

Then both of them sternly said, "NO!"


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Ellac sat on the bed watching his wife unwrap the bandages around her torso. He cringed when he saw the bruises all over her ribs, flat abdomen and beneath her breasts. The bruises once red and small were now huge and purple. They covered her entire front side. He sighed and helped her take off the bandages since she was having trouble.

He grazed his fingertips along her skin and she tensed. "Ana…" he says in a breathy voice. "You're a crazy woman." he joked with a charming smile and she cast a mocking grin. He touched the caesarean scar along her abdomen which had a lot of bruising around it. "She really did a number on you."

"Don't remind me."

He took the bandages off her bundled hand and examined the burns on her palm which were extremely severe. Her hand had several blisters on it that were begging to burst at any moment. He wagged his head, frustrated that for one, she rode out into the field by herself, and two, she was beaten so badly by Boareks. Not even the thick leather glove could protect her hand from the hot coals she threw in the Sabir's face.

"Why did you stick your hand in the fire pit in the first place." He grabbed some herbs and smoothed it over her blistered palm gently.

"She was going to burn my face! And she almost did…" she pointed to the red patch on her cheek and Ellac smiled faintly.

"It's fading away slowly." He finished dressing her hand and wrapped it back up with a fresh bandage.

Anastasia hobbled her way over to the baths and grabbed her robe and a towel. He cocked his head watching her struggle to walk only ten feet away to the baths. She breathed heavily and wrapped the robe around herself and leaned a hand on the doorway.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine." She proceeded to take another step on her very injured ankle and leg and then fell onto her knee. Ellac rolled his eyes and ran over to help her. He wrapped an arm around her then let her up slowly off the floor.

"Don't need help huh?" he teased her then scooped her up into his arms and she scowled at his charming disposition. "Would you stop being the hero for one moment." He set her in the hot water and took the robe off her and tossed it aside. She settled into the water and hissed the further she lowered her body in the steaming water.

He knelt down behind her and scooped a small of vase of water over her hair a few times. She relaxed her shoulders and felt his fingers grazing her scalp gently. "Thank you…"

"I'd do anything for you except maybe ride into a flaming field," he joked and she whipped her head around. "Hey, hey I'm just kidding. Maybe you should relax for awhile and let someone else handle all of the ceremonies this time."

"No! I want to plan my mother's wedding celebration, and Cera's birthday and Farah's serata."

"You're going to do all of that in less than two months?" he asked in disbelief. He didn't believe that even his wife could do everything by herself.

"Watch me." She grinned and tried to open the bottle of oil but was having substantial trouble opening it with her injured hand. He grabbed it from her and uncorked it and poured the oil into her palm. "Thanks…" she muttered.

"You should use a cane to get around the Adame."

She inhaled sharply. "I will not! That was embarrassing enough the first time."

"If you don't, I'm going to force you to stay in bed." He splashed some water in her face and she splashed some back at him. She turned around in the water and smiled mischievously at him. The king raised his eyebrow and she traced her fingers on his bare muscular chest and grabbed his arm. "Anastasia…"

She pulled him into the water and lifted himself up out of the water and smoothed his long wet hair back and glared at his wife. He felt the weight of his heavy cotton pants in the bath and folded his arms. She swam over and wrapped her arms around his neck and slid her leg around his waist.

Her hands slithered beneath the water and unlaced his pants.

"Ana!" he pushed her away. "You're hurt."

"Only a little bit." She slapped his arms off her and slipped his pants off his hips. "Take them off."

He looked at her curiously and took the soaked pants off and bundled it up and threw it outside of the bath. He smirked and placed his hands on her hips and she drew them closer together. "I thought you didn't want me to touch you?"

"I changed my mind but don't hurt me." She warned.

"Don't  _hurt_  you?" he laughed. "Okay I won't touch you then. Your body is black and blue as it is."

"Oh come on," she lifted her eyebrows. "Where's those pain sedatives…" she looked around in their large bathroom and he frowned.

"I'm not going to have sex with you if you're high." He protested. She shoved him into the wall of the tub and his eyes widened. She pressed her hands on his arms sprawled along the edge of the floor bath. "Okay…" he smiled nervously looking into her wild eyes.

* * *

The largest suite in the Adame where Tuya and Fairuza shared together during their time here was being cleared out by slowly and surely. Xena reached into Fairuza's chest of dresses and picked up a dark blue long sleeved dress with beads adorned on the collar. She held it close and then picked up the blue veiled kozak that matched the gown.

Gabrielle walked in and stood at the doorway for a few moments. She smiled faintly and Xena turned her head. She came to stand by her and grabbed a dark green dress and pressed her fingers on the black sparkly beads across the waistline and bust.

"She had a lot of beautiful dresses," she comments and the brunette nodded then folded up the blue dress and set it gently back into the chest. Gabrielle reached in and grabbed a burgundy dress lined with silver thread. "Hey, remember when she met Arielle for the first time? She was so worried that Arielle wouldn't like her."

Xena smiled and remembered that day very well. "She was scared of a three year old."

"Arielle wasn't exactly the easiest three year old to get along with," she playfully joked. She placed the burgundy dress back into the chest with the others and sighed. "What are we going to do with all of her things?"

"We're going to send everything to Navaz. He can decide what to do with her dresses and jewelry."

"And Tuya's belongings?"

Xena nodded. "We'll send them to him as well."

"I know you didn't like Tuya very much but Arielle is really upset that she's gone."

"She didn't deserve to die like that, no matter how much I disliked her. I guess that means I am in charge of teaching Arielle how to use a bow," she half smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Gabrielle closed the chest of clothes that her partner kept eyeing. It was obviously torturing her, she could tell. "Hey, there's a party tonight in the women's quarters. We should go to you know, get your mind off things." She grabbed her hand and tried pulling her away.

"I should have never let Kutilzis stay here."

"Xena…we didn't know he was going to turn like that. None of us knew."

"That attack…" she saw all five of their bodies fresh in her mind even two weeks since passed. "It was premeditated. He waited to do that."

"There's no point in trying to figure out what was going on in that psycho mind of his, Xena. You can't do anything about their deaths. The best thing you did was kill Kutilzis and his mother. We are free from the Sabirs now. All of Boareks' sons are dead so there won't be an uprising."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Gabrielle." she turned to her with teary eyes.

"You really need to stop thinking of the worst," the governor said and kissed her hand. "Come on, we should be celebrating life right now."

* * *

Once this room was filled with an abundance of women and during get-togethers the room was usually quite loud with conversation and laughing. Now, the women's room was bare and silent for the most part. Everyone had their own groups in separate parts of the room. Ursula sat with Handan's boys in one corner, playing a game with them to keep their minds off Handan, which didn't prove too difficult as long as they were entertained everyday and all day.

Kreka sat in a small circle with Arielle, Soran and Cera, playing chess. She held Kurt in her lap as she tried to coach Soran on how to play but the girls were beating him, three to none so far. But instead of getting frustrated, he continued to stick to it and learn along the way. He was obviously very patient and certainly had a control over his temper unlike his sister, Arielle, who flipped chess boards over when she lost a game from time to time.

Xena lounged on the floor with her weight propped up on one elbow, staring at the two small groups in the room. Gabrielle was busy trying to learn how to play a traditional Szekely game and Farah was being a little too scientific as usual when she tried to explain how to play. Gabrielle scratched her head and asked for the game to be explained one last time –it was the third time in a row, but Farah didn't seem to mind.

She kept hearing Farah's voice next to her but couldn't make out what she was saying due to her distraction. She remembered when this room was filled with only two women –herself and Kreka. All of Attila's sons and Anastasia were the only children here. That number expanded when Kriemhild came along and there were her two sons that were added, and then shortly exterminated before their seventh birthday.

As the years went by, soon there was Leila and for a short time, Giselle. Then, the latest, Bakkah and her son. Now they were back to square one, Xena supposed, except there were a lot more children now –children without their mothers and aunts.

"Are you understanding this at all?" Gabrielle said and the commander shook her head out of her daze.

"What?"

"This game. Do you understand it?"

Xena looked up at Farah and down at the tray of empty tea cups. "You hide the ring under the cups and whoever guesses the right cup correctly wins." She said nonchalantly and the blonde crinkled up her face. "I was listening," she smiled.

"Great!" Farah cheered. "So, let's play. I'll hide the ring first and see if you two can guess the cup it's under."

"Do we win anything if we guess correctly?" Xena asked.

"Well, you win points."

"So, we aren't playing with money?" she slyly said and Gabrielle sighed.

"No, it's just for points."

" _Can_  we play for money?"

Farah stuttered, "Well…I guess…so?" she supposed and the commander set down a pouch filled with dinars. "Okay…so I'll go first." She instructed them to turn away and then her sister came by with a tray of food. She creased her eyebrows together and Rabia presented a big smile and set down the tray. "Rabia I ate an hour ago. I am not hungry."

Xena and Gabrielle shared a smirk and looked at the two sisters glaring at one another. They each took a cheese pastry off the tray and Rabia glared at them. "Come on, Farah, you really like these pastries…" Rabia hinted.

"No thank you, I can't eat any more."

"Just one?"

"No!"

Xena grabbed a pastry and shoved it in Farah's mouth to shut her up. Gabrielle paused in the middle of chewing and Xena snickered. "Just eat the food, Farah." She pat the girl's knee and stared at the satisfied sister. "Now that Rabia is here, we can play in teams. What do you say?"

Rabia looked at the seven cup tea set and nodded. "You're playing yuzuk. I used to love that game." She crossed her legs and scooted the tray closer to her little sister. "I'll play but I must warn you, Farah and I are very good at this game."

"We're playing for money so we'll see about that," Gabrielle said.

"Screw this game!" Soran yelled and folded his arms pouting quietly. He lost to his sister four times already and Kreka's lessons obviously weren't paying off. Cera put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head at her older sister.

Arielle smiled and took all the pieces off the board. "Better luck next time, brother."

"Well maybe I'll ask your mother to teach me!" he challenged and her sunny disposition faded. "I hear she's good at chess."

Cera grinned and tapped his shoulder. She put a hand over her chest and pointed to him. He furrowed his eyebrows trying to understand her. She huffed and pointed to the chess board then thumbed herself in the chest, nodding her head vigorously.

"You will teach me?" he asked and she nodded some more.

Xena picked up the tea cup and smiled at Farah and Rabia, who lost for the second time now. "We win again. Looks like it's our turn  _again_." She high fived Gabrielle. "You two owe us ten dinari."

Gabrielle took the ring and the Czarinas closed their eyes. She spun the tray around and took a long time choosing which cup to hide the ring under. She chose the same exact cup that Xena last round and clapped her hands. "Okay, you can pick now." She excitedly said and the women opened their eyes and looked at the tray carefully. "I like this game."

Anastasia opened the door and hobbled in with the cane that she hated using. She smiled at the group next to the door and sat down slowly, next to her mother and Farah. She eyed the set of empty tea cups and looked at the Czarinas who were whispering in their native language.

"What game is this?"

"It's called yuzuk. It's a game played in Banat and we're winning," Gabrielle answered.

Ana nodded and Farah picked up the cup that she and her sister decided upon. "Dammit!" she yelled and didn't find the ring.

"You now owe us fifteen dinari," Xena commented and the Szekely women glared at her. "I thought you said you ladies were good at this game?" she teased.

Next door in the king's quarters all of the men cheered and laughed loudly. All the women went silent and Xena scoffed and picked up the cup with the hidden. "Can we crash their party?" she suggested.

"What are they doing in there?" Farah asked.

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Playing some dumb game and drinking too much." She got more comfortable against the pillows and a smile crept up on her. She reached over and rested her hand on Farah's belly and the Czarina looked down at herself. She grabbed the queen's hand and placed it on the other side of her belly.

Ana's eyes widened as did her smile. " _Torunum cok sevimli_ ," she cooed softly and Xena raised her eyebrow at her daughter. "I'm very excited to meet my grandchild. I will throw the biggest senlik for you I promise."

"Serata," Rabia corrected.

"We're combining them like I said before." Farah stared at her sister.

"This is all very cute but are we going to play this game or do I have to crash the boys' party?" Xena twirled the ring on her finger. Farah huffed and spun the tray of tea cups around and Xena winked at her. "Close your eyes, Czarina and prepare to lose again."

Soran ran over to the gaggle of women. "Anastasia!" he yelled and the queen sat up, covering her chest with the black and red silk robe.

"Yes,  _tatli cocuk_?" she ran her hands along his arms.

"Will you teach me how to play chess?"

"Sure, I'd love to." She saw Arielle setting up the chess board, getting ready to play against Cera. "You lost to Arielle, didn't you?" and he nodded with a sad frown. "Don't worry we'll have a private lesson together." She kissed his small knuckles.

He let out a small sigh. "If Arielle is my sister does that mean Cera is my sister too now?"

Ana tried to keep the smile on her face and didn't want to reveal that she was also upset that Fairuza was gone, but she made a promise to herself and Navaz that she'd take very good care of Soran. "She's your stepsister but yes, she's your sister."

He turned to the commander with a miffed expression on his cute face. "Does that mean you are my grandma now?"

Xena was focused on the game but responded, "Sure boy, I'll be your grandmother." She said and Ana frowned and hit her arm. Xena cringed and turned to Soran and pinched his cheek.

"Ha! We win!" Farah cheered and held the ring in between two fingers. "You owe us five dinari!" she pointed at Gabrielle and Xena. Rabia gave her sister a strange look and Farah grinned anxiously. "I've never played this game with money before…it is very exhilarating!"

* * *

A week later Gabrielle went behind Xena's back and wrote up their marriage papers to be signed by Anastasia and Ellac. She was able to hide it from her surprisingly since she could never hide anything from Xena. Early in the morning she finally got the two to sign the papers and all she needed was her potential wife's signature.

She crept into the bedroom and jumped on the bed, alarming Xena's slumber. "Guess what I got?" she teased and swayed side to side. She pulled out a paper and held it in front of her face with a huge grin. Xena rubbed her face and snatched the paper from her hands.

"You got this signed without me?" she asks and the blonde governor bobbed her head up and down excitedly. "And you want my signature?"

"Yeah, kind of." She pulled out a quill pen and shoved it into her face. "Anastasia is planning everything for next week so I want you to sign this so our lives will be a lot easier."

Xena mocked her and signed her name quickly on the bottom. "Happy? Now can I go back to sleep." She tossed the pen aside and rolled over onto her side. Gabrielle lay down on top of her and she grumbled. "Gabrielle…"

"Yesss?"

"Get off me." Gabrielle bit her bottom lip and slithered her hand under the sheets and Xena yelped. "Gabrielle!"

"What? I love you and I want to show you how much I care about you." she kissed her bare shoulder and Xena rolled over onto her back to the green eyes above her. She smiled and brushed blonde locks away from her face.

"Don't get all sentimental on me now." She teased and wrapped an arm around her, bringing her close to her chest.

"Can't have that now can we?" she heard Xena's heartbeat against her ear and it soothed her. She lifted herself up and pinned Xena's arm to the bed. "Can we go to the bathhouse and finish what we started? Hopefully we won't be interrupted by anyone 'washing' their hair."

For the first time in her life, Xena felt nervous and yet excited to be in the same space as Gabrielle. She looked around and felt a cold breeze enter the yurt. "It's…a little cold outside."

"The baths are really hot though…." She hinted and kissed her forehead. Her lips traveled down to her neck and then to her collar bone. "Lots of steam…and oils…" her lips pecked her partner's chest and Xena's eyes grew and her eyebrows lifted into her fringed bangs. She whined and slammed her fist on the bed. "Come on, Xena! Don't you want to spend time with me?"

"Of course I do but I'll save all my energy for after the…" she frowned, "wedding ceremony." She sat up and gently pushed off Gabrielle. "I'm going to kill –"

Cera entered the room and Xena forced a smile at her granddaughter. "Cera!" she saved herself from further embarrassment and Gabrielle scooted away from her on the bed. The princess ran and jumped on the bed. "Happy birthday,  _tatli kiz_." She reached over and tickled the girl.

Gabrielle grabbed the little princess and tucked her in her lap. "Your grandma and I got a special present for you tonight."

Cera gasped and covered her mouth. She then wrapped her tiny arms around the women and smiled smugly. Xena poked the girl in her stomach and Cera giggled. "We need to find a better way for you to communicate with everyone."

"Hey there are a lot of great tutors in Ravenna. Maybe we could pay someone to come teach her how to sign."

Xena raised an eyebrow. "Ravenna? You mean Odoacer's territory. Fat chance, Gabrielle. He let me borrow his army he's not going to let me employ one of his citizens to come work for us."

"What if I write a letter to convince him? I won't mention Cera's name at all." She suggested. The princess' head turned left to right, eyeing them curiously and sighed heavily, more than frustrated that she couldn't convey her thoughts or feelings to anybody. "I'm going to get you the best teacher ever, Cera." She kissed the top of her head.

Xena touched her granddaughter's long silky auburn hair. "You have hair just like your grandmother's." Cera contorted her face and looked at her waist length hair. "I wish you could have met her. She would love you." she kissed her forehead and Cera blushed. "Hey, now that you're six years old I can finally teach you how to use a weapon of your choice. Gabrielle and I can take you out riding. Would you like that?"

Cera slapped her cheeks and jumped up and nodded. She started jumping on the bed and Gabrielle grabbed her hands. "Okay, okay calm down. Go change your clothes and we'll be outside shortly." As soon as the princess ran out of the yurt, Gabrielle narrowed her eyes at her fiancée. "Ana's going to kill you for teaching her daughter how to use a weapon."

"What is she going to do? Hit me with her cane?" she chortled and relaxed in the bed. "Who's the old lady now?"

Gabrielle smacked her face with a pillow. "Xena!"

* * *

Csaba made his way over to his cousin's yurt and walked into a thick cloud of smoke. He coughed and waved through the smog and Oran smiled, greeting his cousin. Csaba held a box tucked under his arm and he spotted Yeter in bed, wearing a mesh gown and he turned around.

"I'm sorry," he face went pale and Oran jumped up off the floor and slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Csaba, you are always welcome in my yurt."

"I just came by to drop this off. Navaz sent over some documents for Yeter to look over." He handed the box to his cousin, petrified to turn around. Oran laughed and took the box and tossed it onto the bed. Yeter sat up and grabbed a robe and slipped it over her body. She grabbed her long silky hair and ruffled it with her fingernails.

"You can turn around now, prince. I am decent." She smirked and Csaba slowly looked over his shoulder and hid a shy grin from her. "How's your wife?" she reached for her brush and began stroking her locks.

Csaba sighed heavily and Oran raised his eyebrow. "That bad huh?" he slapped his cousin on the shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to smoke this with me? It will relieve you of your stress."

"No thanks Oran." He put up a defensive hand, knowing how persuasive his cousin can be. He didn't intend on staying but he parked himself on the floor and Oran joined him. "I love Farah. She's very smart and she's –"

"Beautiful," Yeter interjected.

"Yes…" he brought his knees close to his chest and tapped his fingers together. "But…she's really mean!" he slapped his palms on his thighs. "Even when I am very nice to her she always finds some way to insult me. I don't know what to do. I don't want to go back there. And if Rabia looks at me like everything is my fault again I swear I might hit her."

Oran snickered and blew out a cloud of smoke and scooted close to his cousin. "Relax, Csaba. You could do something nice for her."

"She won't appreciate it. She'll just yell at me."

"Okay well you could just have sex with her."

"Oran!" his cheeks blushed and eyed Yeter who had a smug grin on her face. "I don't think…that will lighten her mood."

The shaman Hun shrugged a shoulder. "When's the last time you had sex with her?" The prince sank further down on the wall and Oran nodded. "See? You should try that. I don't know how you aren't able to keep your hands off her anyway."

"She hits me." He got up and smiled briefly at Yeter. "I'll see you two at the party." He bowed his head at them and left.

"Good luck!" Oran yelled.

Yeter set down her brush and smoothed out her hair. "These Hun women run their husbands into the ground." She snubbed her nose and grabbed a dress that she planned to wear for the party tonight that she didn't really want to attend.

"You can't keep referring to them like that, Yeter. You live here now and you are one of us."

"Oh right, of course and I am supposed to like you and please your mother."

He frowned. "Well I am not crazy about you either but you don't get to speak ill of my mother." He inhaled the hashish from the long hose and she slipped the dress over her head and buttoned the front of it quickly as she sat on the bed.

"She expects me to give you children," she admitted softly.

He turned and stretched out his legs in front of him. "And you will." He tells her a bit more abruptly than he wanted to. Yeter finished buttoning her dress and grabbed her headdress and smoothed out the veil and beads. He looked at how distressed she was and added, "When you're ready."

* * *

"Xena, are you sure that we shouldn't tell Ana about this?" Gabrielle yelled from afar as she lounged up against a tree, picking at the long grass stalks.

The commander was knelt down on both knees and holding Cera's arms from behind. The princess squinted one of her eyes and struggled to keep the long thin sword up with her small weak wrists. Xena lifted the girl's arms and positioned her hips correctly to face forward.

"If we tell Ana then I will get yelled at and we can't have that on Cera's birthday," she said. "Right?" she whispered and the princess nodded. "Make sure you keep your arms straight, but don't lock your elbows." She instructed and the redhead put on her serious face and the sword began to weigh down her thin arms. "Maybe you should have picked a smaller sword."

One of the young recruits who was a drummer in the war with the Sabirs walked over to the governor who was lounging and minding her own business. He hated to interrupt her peaceful session and looked over at the commander teaching the little princess how to use a sword. He smile briefly and cleared his throat. Gabrielle jumped and he bowed his head then pulled a letter out from behind his back.

"What's this Badr?" she stood up and grabbed the letter with an unfamiliar seal on it.

"A letter from the Emperor of China." He told her.

She opened the letter and much to her surprise it wasn't in Chinese. She figured Emperor Liu had the letter translated before he sent it. She frowned as she read through the short letter. "Thank you Badr." She tapped the letter on her palm and turned around, smiling at the two conversing, or rather, only Xena talking and Cera nodding or shaking her head several times.

"Don't swing that sword! Keep holding it up even if your arms start hurting!" Xena backed away from her granddaughter who was struggling to keep the weapon afloat. She smiled and walked over to Gabrielle and instantly saw the parchment. "What's that?"

"Um, a letter from Emperor Liu," she said and tucked it into her belt.

"Well, what did he say?"

"He thanked us for getting rid of Boareks. She was a huge burden to China." She began and Xena nodded, knowing there was more to come. "He also made an alliance with the Nezaks."

"That's good…" she folded her arms. "What else did he say?"

Gabrielle wrapped an arm around the nape of her neck and felt tension in her shoulders rising. "He is concerned about a group of people in between Persia and China. They're called Kidarites and they're claiming themselves as Huns."

Xena laughed. "Huns? They aren't part of the empire."

"There's more." She inhaled and added, "they claim to be exiled Ashina Huns from Mongolia and China."

"But the Ashina are gone. They've been gone for a long time."

"I know that but they left the tribe thirty years ago and lived in the outskirts of the Sassan Empire. Since the empire is gone, they are coming out as Huns and Emperor Liu is afraid his kingdom is going to be invaded."

Xena rubbed her chin and turned to her granddaughter still holding onto the sword. She couldn't imagine another tribal invasion again. She also didn't want to take over more tribes. It was like she was under Attila's reign all over again. When he was just starting out under his uncle, they had to conquer several nomadic tribes and claim them under the empire. It was small at first but it grew very rapidly. Now the empire has dwindled down to three Hunnic tribes that were spread so far apart.

"Do they have a Bey or chieftain?" she asked and the governor shrugged. "We'll send someone over and ask for a meeting here in Pannonia. We could possibly make friends with them and we'll have another tribe under us."

Cera couldn't take it anymore and dropped the sword. Xena put the thought of overtaking another tribe aside and rubbed her granddaughter's sore arms. "Had enough for today?" she asked and Cera nodded. "Why don't you go inside and get ready for tonight and don't tell your mother what we did today."

She grinned and put a finger to her mouth then ran back to the Adame. Gabrielle waited until the girl was far away and grabbed her fiancée's arm. "So, who's going to be the one to tell Anastasia and Ellac?"

"Oh that's your job. I'm just the  _commander_."

"But, but can't you just come with me?"

"I'm going to get ready for the party." She sauntered off back to their yurt.

"What?" she followed her and almost tripped over a rock. "You hate parties!"

"I'm beginning to like them. Borias would be very proud of me." She took off her gloves and the governor scoffed.

"You're just trying to get out of telling Ana and Ellac about this! Xena!" she tripped and fell on her knees and the commander turned her head over a shoulder and laughed. "Go ahead. Laugh at my pain."

"Okay, okay." She hoisted the saucy governor up off the cold grass. Gabrielle held onto her shoulder and limped with one leg. "Did you hurt your ankle?"

" _Now_  you care."

* * *

One of the ministers of Hagia Sophia, the largest church inside the Eastern Roman Empire, stood in front of Emperor Justinian who was very displeased at how the church was coveted by riots and heathens as he called them. Tribonian, the head minister of the grand church, tried to explain to his ruler that he was unable to handle the massive amounts of people within the church and outside. He requested a coup to take out the rioters and have guards posted outside just in case.

Justinian listened to the elderly minister, who was once fond of but as the man kept making requests, he was unsure if his sunny disposition was going to go in the man's favor. Not for long, he thought. He began by saying, "I do not think a coup is necessary. Churches are meant to help people in need. You will welcome the rioters."

"But, emperor, they are not Christians. They are idolaters! They have come from the Balkans and claim asylum within the Hagia Sophia!"

He rolled his eyes and had no time to deal with these so called idolaters. "My wife will be returning from Assyria soon. She will be happy to deal with the idolaters outside the church." He was more than willing to give the charity work to his wife and Empress, Theodora. She was much better at handling these situations than he was.

General Mundus barged into the room and Justinian waved his hand at the minister. Tribonian turned around and frowned at the tall general. "But sire, this is a serious problem. They are burning the gardens and threatening to kidnap our sisters and priests."

"Oh, burning the gardens. Can't have that." He mocked the man. "Empress Theodora will handle it when she gets back. I'll send some guards with you to make sure you are safely escorted back to the Hagia Sophia." He dismissed him and welcomed the general. "Mundus, welcome. You are free to go Tribonian." He said.

"But sir!" he pleaded and two guards grabbed him by the arms and escorted him out of the throne chamber. "We need aid! Please, emperor!"

The doors closed and Justinian sighed then smiled at his beloved general. "What news do you bring from the Sabir Queen? I am dying to know how many Huns she has slaughtered. I hope the number is high."

Mundus took off his helmet and stared at the emperor with a straight face. "I'm afraid I have news that you will not be pleased to hear, emperor." He said and Justinian's grin turned into a deep frown. "You should know that Queen Boareks was able to get rid of four tribes in the Hun Empire."

"What about Attila's clan in Pannonia?" he didn't care about the rest of the tribes.

The general shook his head. "Commander Xena killed Boareks and took back the White Hun territory, sir."

"Xena!" he shouted and stood from his throne. "That hag is still alive?"

"Yes, emperor."

Justinian paced around nervously and wagged his finger. "I was counting on the Sabirs to get rid of the Huns yet they are still alive. How many tribes are left?"

"The White, Pannonian and Nezak Huns. It is a great turnout if I do say so myself, your highness." Mundus grinned.

"Not good enough. I wanted Attila's clan wiped out and Queen Boareks would have been perfect for the job but she failed and now she's dead. What of her sons?"

"All dead, emperor." He reported. "The Huns have allied with Odoacer. The Romans were in the field attacking us and the Sabirs."

The emperor walked over to the window and stared at the Black Sea and tapped his fingers on the sill impatiently. "Do you know the whereabouts of the Persian Shah brothers?" he asked and Mundus frowned.

"Why would they concern you?"

Justinian turned with a sly smile. "They don't  _concern_  me. I would like a meeting with them. Find them and bring them to Constantinople."

"Of course. What do you want me to do about the Huns?"

"Don't worry about them for now. They know I was working with the Sabirs. It is best that I lay low so I do not risk being attacked."

* * *

Cera sat on a chair that swallowed her completely. Her hair was piled on top of her head and she picked out one of her best dresses she had. A green and gold lined gown with black lace around the collar and cufflinks. She thanked everyone that brought gifts to her with a simple hand to her chest and a huge smile.

Anastasia and Ellac stood beside their daughter and shared a warm smile together watching Cera greet people she barely knew, but it seemed like she cared more about the gifts. Arielle, on the other hand was very upset that she had to wear a dress to the party once again. She angrily stood beside her little sister and tried to be nice to all the guests but as soon as they walked off, she scowled.

"Your daughter is always in a mood," Ellac whispered.

Ana nudged his ribs. "She's your daughter too."

"No, Navaz is her father. I'm not."

"Ellac, she loves you like a father too. Besides, you said she is a part of me."

He nodded and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, I'm beginning to see the resemblance." He teased her.

Csaba walked into the room and smiled at his littlest sister and kissed her hand. "Happy birthday, Cera. I got you something." He pulled out a small box and she beamed and snatched the box from his hands. She set the present down next to the abundant gifts and jumped onto him and wrapped her legs around his waist. "You're welcome." He laughed and pat her back gently.

Ana looked around and tapped her son's shoulder. "Where's Farah?"

He groaned and set his sister back down on the chair. "She's with Rabia still getting ready. I told her she looks beautiful but she doesn't believe me!"

"She's just emotional right now, Csaba. Just be nice to her and patient. Only one more month and then I finally get to meet my grandchild." Her eyes widened and she laced her fingers together.

Ellac wrapped an arm around her and smirked at his son. "Your mother is very excited."

"I can see that." The prince noted. "Oh look, here she comes." He grumbled and fixed the bun on his head and smoothed out the sides of his hair with his palms. "Farah," he grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You look very nice."

She wiggled her hand out of his hold. "You always say that."

He nodded. "But I always mean it."

Xena walked over, holding onto Gabrielle as she limped along. Ana cocked her head and pointed at the disgruntled governor. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, she had a little accident. Didn't you, Gabrielle?" Xena smiled smugly.

"I tripped over a rock and sprained my ankle. I'll live." She grimaced up at her mocking soon to be wife. "I'm going to give Cera  _our_  gift." She slapped Xena's chest and hobbled over to the princess.

Xena slinked over to the Czarina. "Farah… _tatli_   _kiz_ , how are you feeling?" she asked sweetly and placed a hand on her belly. Farah smiled nervously.

"I'm alright. I'm actually very tired. I think I will go sit down somewhere." She began walking off and Xena glared at her grandson.

"Go with her," she pushed him forward.

"She's going to bite my face off!"

"You go be with your pregnant wife, Csaba." She turned him around and began ushering him forward.

Farah gradually lowered herself in the seat next to Arielle and wiped her forehead. Arielle sat on the armrest and Farah fanned her face with her hand and frowned at the princess who was incredibly close to her. Csaba smiled at his wife and sister and sat next to them and ran his hands down his thighs.

"So, Farah…" Arielle cuddled up next to her sister in law. "You must be excited about the baby." She hinted and Farah looked at the girl suspiciously. "I hope you're not in labor for days like my mother was with Cera."

" _Days_?" her face paled and Csaba rubbed her arm.

"Don't listen to her, Farah. Shut up, Arielle…" he muttered.

"Or you could get lucky and give birth in a few hours like Bakkah," Arielle said and hopped off the armrest. "Good luck!" she cheered and walked off.

Farah breathed heavily and put a hand to her chest. "Days? Csaba I don't want to be in pain for days!"

"Hey, don't stress yourself out." He gripped her hand. "It's not good for the baby. Please, don't worry. I'll be there with you; my mother will be there too. Please?" She fanned her face and he panicked, unsure of what to do. "Mom!" he yelled.

Gabrielle hobbled back over and hung onto Xena's shoulder. Ellac couldn't wipe the smile off his face staring at his daughter. "What did you get her?" he asked both of them. "It better not be a weapon, Xena."

"Relax, it's not a weapon. It's a necklace and a pair of earrings. I know better than to get my six year old granddaughter a weapon." She scoffed and Gabrielle shook her head. "Gabrielle got an interesting letter today, didn't you?"

"Xena…"

He folded his arms. "Really? What was it?"

"A letter from Emperor Liu." She explained and got a slap in the middle of her back. She grabbed the blonde's wrist and gripped it firmly, twisting her arm. Gabrielle gasped and put on a forced smile for the king. "There's a new group of people who claim they are the lost Ashina Huns. They're called Kidarites."

"Kidarites? Well, what do they have to do with China?"

"Who knows? We should send someone to retrieve their chieftain to have a meeting with us. That's what Gabrielle thinks is the best idea."

He looked at his governor and she showed her pearly whites. "Is that what you think Gabrielle?"

"Oh…yes, it's a swell idea." She pinched the hand that was twisting her arm and Xena yanked her hand away immediately.

"Okay it's settled then. I'll send Ebnedzar to this so called Kidarite tribe and we'll see what we can work out." He grinned and slapped a hand on her shoulder. "We'll talk about the details tomorrow. Tonight is about Cera." He walked over to his daughter.

Xena snickered gleefully. "I could totally do your job."

"No, you couldn't."

"Just did."


	29. Chapter 29

**And finally here we are ;) this is not over yet though. Enjoy!**

Chapter 29 – _The Ritual_

Ana sat opposite of her mother and Gabrielle, listening to them both talk about the letter from Emperor Liu. She read the note several times and Ellac sat quietly picking at the tassels on the rug. "These Kidarites claim to be the exiled Ashina Huns?" she asked for the third time and the governor and commander nodded their heads slowly. "Why didn't they come out and say anything? Why wait?"

"That's what we need to figure out when they come here for a meeting," says Gabrielle. "They were living under Peroz and Hormizd so they must be establishing their tribe."

Ana set the letter down and kept glaring at it as if the words came alive before her eyes. "Why do they call themselves Kidarites? Why not stick to Ashina? What is Kreka going to think about this? Where is she? I think she should know about this. This is her tribe, supposedly. We should tell her, right? Shouldn't we?"

Xena shook her head and grabbed her daughter's shoulder. "You need to calm down. Ellac is going to send Ebnedzar to the Kidarite tribe and bring them back for a meeting. We can talk to Kreka about this and see if she knows anything about some of her people being exiled. Okay?"

"I'll go tell my brother about the plan." The king said, desperate to get out of the tense room. He kissed his wife's cheek and quickly got up and scurried out. She stared at the letter and sighed heavily, unable to get the thought of another tribe hiding beneath their noses.

"What if this is like the Sabirs? Will they attack us? How do we know they are really Huns? What if they're Persians in disguise working for the Shahs?" she asked a million questions.

"Alright. We're going to settle this right now." Xena got off the rug and walked through the doors.

* * *

Kreka tried to feed her grandson and pushed the spoon of rice and yogurt in his face. Kurt frowned and closed his mouth, refusing to eat. " _Tatli cocuk_ , it's your favorite." She grinned and tickled his plump stomach. He giggled aloud and she stuffed the food in his mouth. "Ha!"

Kurt gurgled and spat up the food and it dribbled down his chin. She frowned and wiped his mouth with a cloth and he smiled with his toothless mouth and she threw the spoon in the bowl, fed up with trying to feed the baby for over half an hour.

"What's the matter here? You eat this all the time with your father around." She put her hands on her hips and he grinned sneakily then scooped a handful of the yogurt mush in his hand and smeared it on his face. She cringed and he chewed the food and she folded her arms. "Kurt…"

Xena walked into the khatun's room and raised her eyebrow at the child's messy face and clothes. "Glad to see he is enjoying your cooking." She mused.

Kreka smiled and wiped her grandson's face with the cloth and rubbed the yogurt off his black vest. "What do you need, Xena?"

"Anastasia needs you in the king's quarters to discuss something important."

"But I'm watching Kurt," she kept smiling at her infant grandson and he grabbed the spoon and began tapping it on the glass bowl.

"Kreka, it's really important and why can't Ernak watch him?"

"He's with Dengi and Oran." She grabbed the child and stood up, holding him in her arms. "Is it really  _that_  important?" she conferred and she nodded. "Alright I'll go but I need you to watch him."

"Me? I have other things to do!"

"No, you don't." she shoved her grandson in the commander's arms. "I won't be gone long and don't let him eat any more of that food. He'll just make a mess." She waved and left her bedroom. Xena sighed and stared at the child who was sucking on his fingers.

She pulled his fingers out of his mouth and his brown eyes widened, staring up at her. "Looks like it's just you and me." She grinned and he parted his mouth and wiped his nose. "Your grandma is a crazy lady, huh?" she poked his nose and he laughed loudly in her ear. She squinted one of her eyes and rubbed her ear. "Let's go see what Csaba and Farah are up to."

* * *

Gabrielle closed the doors to the conference room and after Kreka went in, she put her ear up against the door and listened for any yelling that might occur. Xena titled her head and approached the blonde who was eavesdropping. Kurt grabbed onto her hair and tugged at it like twine.

"Whatcha doing?" she said and the governor yelped and spun around, clinging to the door.

"Don't do that!" Gabrielle whispered. She smiled at the child. "What are you doing with baby Kurt?"

"I got roped into watching him for awhile." She explained and Gabrielle grabbed the boy's hands and gazed into his big brown eyes. "I was going to pawn him off on Farah and Csaba."

"Aw no, we can take care of him!" she poked the baby's stomach and he giggled. "He's so adorable. We never get to care of babies, Xena. Come on, it'll be fun. We can play games with him."

Xena rolled her eyes. "I'm going to find Csaba and Farah." She walked up the staircase and Gabrielle followed. "You want to see your cousin?" she spoke to Kurt and he drooled on his fist. "Your hand must be very tasty." She wiped his mouth with his vest.

* * *

Csaba looked over at his wife and scratched his fingers along her back. She kept staring at the wall for the last hour not saying a word. "Are you happy to be back in our room?" he asked and she blinked. "Do you want me to bring you something? I'm sure there's food in the dining hall." He offered and she slowly wagged her head. "Do you want me to run a bath for you?" he waited for her response and sighed. "Farah, what's wrong?"

"I can't do this." She blurts out and he scooted closer to her.

"Can't do what?"

"Be a mother. I can't do it."

He let out a snort and she shot him a glare. "It's a little late to change your mind. You're going to be great!" he grabbed her hand. "I'll be here and my mother will help you. You aren't alone." He kissed her hand. "Are you still worried about what Arielle said because you shouldn't listen to her. She's a royal pain in the ass."

He turned at the sight of his grandmother and Gabrielle walking into the room with Kurt. He grinned and nudged Farah. She briefly smiled at them and immediately his cousin was handed off to him. Xena wiped the drool from her hands onto her vest.

"You're in charge of him while Kreka is talking to your mother," she told him and he nodded and settled the baby in his lap.

"I wanted to watch him but your grandmother said no." Gabrielle folded her arms and got a mean look from her soon to be wife. She shrugged her shoulder and sat on the bed, cuddling up to Csaba and Kurt. Farah kept staring at the child and her eyes widened in fear.

Xena noticed the Czarina's fearful stare and tapped her shoulder. "What's eating you?" she alarmed her and Farah jumped at the question.

Csaba sighed. "She's scared that she will be in labor for days. Arielle said something and now she won't stop thinking about it." His baby cousin grabbed his long ponytail. "Ow!" he looked down at Kurt who was all smiles.

Xena sat on the bed and guided Farah's face towards her away from the gurgling child. "Farah, women have been birthing children since the beginning of time. My daughter was horrified before she had Csaba. It's not easy to convince a fifteen year old to calm down in the middle of labor."

" _Fifteen_?!" her jaw dropped. She glanced over at her husband and his cheeks reddened.

"I see Csaba didn't tell you much about his mother," she rumbled. "Anyway, everything worked out fine. When she had Arielle, she was in labor for days unfortunately and it was very…complicated." That did not ease the girl's thoughts and she gripped her hand firmly.

"See, I told you my sister is a royal pain in the ass." Csaba joked.

Xena frowned at him and he went back to playing with his cousin. She turned back to the pale faced Czarina. "The point is that we'll be here for you so don't worry. Okay?" she looked into the girl's big green eyes. Farah huffed and nodded. "Good girl." She kissed her forehead. "And don't pay any attention to Arielle. She doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut."

She got off the bed and pulled on her partner's arm. "Gabrielle let's go."

"But I want to play with him!" she held onto Kurt's hand.

"You can play with him later. We have some business to discuss…"

"Fine." She grumbled and waved at Kurt and then was yanked away and nearly fell backward. "I don't need another sprained ankle!" she whined.

Csaba allowed his baby cousin to play with his finger and he smiled faintly at his wife. She looked and seemed more relaxed after his grandmother spoke to her. "You want to hold him?" he asked and she took a good look at the boy and he scooted closer and handed him off to her.

She nervously held Kurt in her lap and he was fascinated with the shiny beads on her collar. He reached up and grabbed her collar and pulled on it roughly. She grinned and he ran his tiny fingers on the beads along her breast.

"See, it's not so bad." He reassured her. "He likes you."

"No, he likes my dress."

* * *

Gabrielle knelt down in front of the commander who had her eyes closed, patiently waiting which felt like an eternity. "Okay, you can open your eyes now." She pulled out the surprise and Xena opened one of her eyes suspiciously and gawked at the black and gold headdress in Gabrielle's hands. She gingerly took it from her and spun the headdress around, admiring all the fine bead work and sparkly veil.

"You made this for me?" she asked.

"Well…I had help. I thought since you made a kozak for me I should make one for you. I know you aren't going to wear a dress but I couldn't have you not wear something luxurious for our wedding." She drummed her fingers on her kneecaps impatiently and Xena kept inspecting the bead work and veil. "What do you think?"

"I don't know what to say." She lifted her head and the blonde crinkled her brows together. "I love it, thank you Gabrielle." she leaned over and pecked her on the lips. "Black. You know me so well. I guess I should thank Kreka for helping you."

The governor chortled. "I didn't ask Kreka for help." She began and got a strange look from her partner. "I asked Busra. I also asked her…to tell me about Borias."

"You did?" she was surprised and set the kozak in her lap.

"From what she told me, he sounded like a really nice person."

Xena raised her eyebrow. "He was. I should have been nicer to him when I had the chance."

"I think he would be very proud of how far you've come. You made an amazing daughter together." She leaned her cheek on her shoulder and saw how saddened or perhaps relieved the brunette was. "How come you never married him?"

"I was young and stubborn." She said with a frown. "He asked me to marry him once and I said no. I should have done a lot of things differently back then and that's why I am not going to let you slip away from me." She winked and kissed her hand. Gabrielle blushed and took off the brown coined headpiece off of Xena's head and placed the new one on.

"Perfect." She gave her a thumbs up. She smoothed the sparkly black veil over the commander's long dark locks. "Just out of curiosity…if you could speak to Borias one last time, what would you say?"

Xena sighed and took the kozak off her head and ran a palm over her hair. "Why do you care?"

"I care! Come on, tell me."

"Well…" she suddenly felt like she needed to feed an itch all over her body. "I would apologize to him for all those times I didn't treat him right. And then," she stifled a laugh, "I'd hit him for leaving me all by myself with Anastasia."

Gabrielle closed her eyes and shook her head. "Would you really do that?"

"Do you even know who I am?" she jests. "We're supposed to be getting married soon and you have this sudden curiosity with Borias. What are you up to?"

"Nothing." She claimed her innocence. "You know how I can be sometimes. My curiosity just gets the best of me. I have the gift of gab." She smiled nervously.

"Uh huh." Xena crossed her arms. "I don't trust you."

"Xena, you love me. I love you. We have a trusting relationship. We tell each other everything." She wiggled her eyebrows and the commander's upper lip quivered. "Almost everything." She slowly backed away on her knees towards the exit. "I have a surprise for you and you're going to love it!"

"Gabrielle!" she yelled and it was too late. Her secretive fiancée ran out of the yurt as fast as possible. She groaned and held the kozak in her hands and her mouth curled into a soft smile.

She hurried out of the yurt in hopes to find Gabrielle and see just what that Greek woman was up to, but she searched around the camp and couldn't find her. She turned and heard children laughing and there was Talat and Tolan pulling on the rope attached to the bucket of the huge well. Cera was leaning over the well and waving her hand.

She cocked her head and walked over to the group of children and the naughty boys cackled. She heard Soran's voice echo and knew that somehow Ebnedzar's sons put Soran into the well. Peering over Cera, she looked down into the well and saw Soran sitting on the bucket and gripping the rope with a big smile on his face. The White prince glanced upward and his eyes grew.

Cera slowly lifted her head and grinned sheepishly at her grandmother. Talat and Tolan finally acknowledged the commander's presence and they quit their yapping and cackling. "What are you children up to?"

"Xena…good afternoon," Talat said and handed the rope to his brother. "We were just…playing a game." He said and his brother, Tolan nodded his head rapidly.

"Playing a game huh?" she leaned over the well wall and stared at the prince. "Is there any reason why Soran is in the well?"

"Oh, that's just part of the game. We are going to get him out. Promise!" Tolan said and gently punched her arm. She snarled at the boy and he backed away and hid behind his older brother. She remembered when her own daughter and Attila's sons often played ridiculous and dangerous games like this when they were children. It seems that children never change no matter how many years pass by.

She grabbed the rope from the boys and pulled up Soran and he had his legs wrapped around the bucket and his hands clinging to the rope. "Fancy seeing you here, Xena." He tried to save face.

"Get out of there!" she yelled and he climbed his way out of the well and jumped onto the grass. "Don't play in the well. Go find somewhere else to play."

Talat pouted, "aweh, you're spoiling our fun, commander." He said and her glare intensified. "Okay we'll go find something else to do!" he grabbed Tolan's hand and Cera giggled then pulled Soran along with her. The four ran away quickly.

She dropped the bucket back into the well and sighed. "Kids."

* * *

Gabrielle waltzed into Ebnedzar's and Ursula's yurt. She had never been inside the huge yurt and it was almost as large as the one she shared with Xena. She looked around at all of the rugs and tapestries hung on the rounded walls and the fire pit in the middle of the sitting area with fresh embers that had recently been put out.

A large tall silver tea pot was next to the fire pit and a tray of ornate glasses were empty except for a few tea leaves. She walked through a curtain of beads and Ursula sat with her back turned working on a large loom. She pulled the warp down and pulled out the weft several times. Gabrielle walked closer to observe and witnessed Ursula, very concentrated that is, working on the loom.

"That is beautiful," she said and the woman turned around, nearly frightened to death. "Sorry. What are you working on?" she admired the bright colors of the woven fabric and Ursula pulled down the weft again, continuing to work.

"A blanket," she answers and felt the eyes upon her. "Is there something I could help you with?"

Gabrielle anxiously brushed a few tendrils behind her ears and felt a bit awkward being in this yurt. After all the years of Ebnedzar and Ursula living in Pannonia, she shared few words with the woman. The Suevi Huns definitely kept to themselves and weren't much for idle talk. Although, Oran was a bit different. He was a social butterfly and Gabrielle deduced that to him taking after his father instead of his quiet mother

"Maybe. You are skilled in shamanism, right?" she asked and Ursula paused the looming process and turned around.

"Yes. My herbs are in my room if you want to use them."

"Oh, no…I didn't come for herbs." She explained and the more she looked into the woman's eyes, the more nervous she became. Ursula had a strange beauty about her and she didn't look like the regular conventional Hun woman. Her high cheekbones highlighted her lightly olive toned skin, small yet plump lips and her petite nose complimented her big eyes that were not quite brown or hazel, but had specs of green around the irises.

Gabrielle had no experience in this but remembered that Xena was not very fond of shamans from a story she told her awhile back. "You're able to contact the dead and all of those spiritual things, right?"

Ursula frowned and folded her arms at the curious governor. "You want to contact someone from the dead?"

"Well, sort of. It's not for me though. It's for someone else –for Xena." She fidgeted with her pants and the woman smirked.

"Xena is not fond of shamanism," she concluded. "I'm not sure I will be able to help you, Gabrielle." she turned around and went back to working on the loom.

The governor huffed and placed her hand on the weft. "Please, it's really important. I think it would mean a lot to her. She's not exactly the easiest person to get gifts for." She laughed forcefully and Ursula narrowed her eyes. "It will be my gift to her. Please? Will she be able to talk to this person?"

"Yes, but I must tell you Gabrielle, she must be willing to go through the ritual or I can't help you."

This was going to ruin everything she had planned. So much for a surprise. "Maybe I can convince her when I bring her to you. If she is convinced then will you do it?" she pleaded. "Please Ursula…"

"Alright I will do it but only if she agrees!" she pointed her finger in the governor's face. "Now, I need to get back to making this blanket if you don't mind." She spun around and pulled the weft down twice and pulled the wool out from the warp.

Gabrielle grinned with satisfaction. "Thank you! She will be very surprised." She said and her words went ignored. "Who's the blanket for anyway?"

"It is a present to Yeter," she explained. "A gift of persuasion in hopes that she will give my son a child." She turned with a sneaky grin and Gabrielle nodded.

"Oh…well it looks nice so far." She slipped away and rolled her eyes at all of these women competing for grandchildren. Xena and Kreka were the worst out of everyone and Anastasia was soon to join that bandwagon and now Ursula. "Women." She muttered and left the yurt.

As soon as she came out she saw Xena searching for her. She panicked but it was too late. She had been spotted. Xena frowned and marched over to her with determination in her eyes. Badr ran up to her and blocked her path. Gabrielle let out a sigh of relief: saved by a soldier.

"The queen wishes to see you, commander," he told her.

Xena tried to side step the boy and she growled. "I'll be there in a moment." She pushed him aside and finally stood in front of the blonde and put a hand on her hip. "What were you doing in Ursula's yurt? You never talk to her."

"Funny thing is that…" she looked around at the pots outside of the yurt filled with herbs. "I asked her for some mint leaves. I've had an awful stomachache for hours now."

"Mhm." She grabbed her partner's hands and patted her down. "Where's the mint?"

"Well…" she fumbled for only a moment. "She was out. I guess I'll have to go ask someone else. Hey, she is weaving a blanket for Yeter." She told her in order to distract her suspicion. "It's so obvious that she wants a grandchild from her. All of these grandmothers, am I right?"

Xena checked the blonde's forehead for a fever. "Did she put a hex on you?"

"No!" she slapped the hand away and fixed her wispy bangs. "Honestly Xena, you are too distrustful of the shaman Huns."

"For good reason! Gabrielle, they use blood in their rituals."

Gabrielle cringed and thought that the ritual would involve something else. Perhaps it was something different. "Weren't you requested by your daughter?" she nudged her head at the Adame.

"I'm onto you."

* * *

They walked into the king's quarters and Anastasia jumped up from the floor and held something hidden behind her back. Xena eyed her daughter suspiciously, just as much as she was eyeing Gabrielle. She trusted nobody.

"How was the meeting with Kreka? Did she provide any information?"

Ana nodded. "Yes, but that's not why I called you."

"Are you hiding something from me too?"

"What?" she laughed nervously. She pulled out the half sewn baby outfit and her smile reached her ears. "I was hoping you could finish this for me…you know, I can't sew with my hand like this." She waved her bandaged burned hand.

Xena rolled her eyes and snatched the outfit from her daughter. "How long have you been working on this?"

"Oh…awhile." She embarrassedly admitted. "Five months."

Her mother chuckled. "Five months and this is all you got? Anastasia…you must take up seamstress classes with Kreka." She teased and Ana bowed her head, feeling even more embarrassed than ever before in her life. "I'll finish it for you. I'll have it ready in two days."

"Xena!" Kreka yelled as she stormed into the room. The commander sighed and clutched the baby outfit close to her chest. "Where is my grandson? I left you in charge of him!"

"I gave him to Csaba and Farah."

"You what?!" she pinched her counterpart's arm. "You left my grandson in the hands of children!"

"They're not children, dragon lady. It's good practice for them. They will be parents soon. You should have more faith in them." She gave her a wink and the khatun snarled and hurried out of the room. "She's very uptight." Xena joked.

Gabrielle mutters under her breath, "She's not the only one."

Xena spun her head around. "What was that?"

"Nothing. I love you…"

"Don't think for a second that I'm not onto you, Gabrielle."

* * *

The day before the wedding, Gabrielle remained very secretive and Xena tried to ask several questions to find out just what she was up to. Of course, she knew that the governor was going to stay quiet. It amazed her that Gabrielle was able to keep a secret for this long, nearly a week later since her strange behavior began.

Xena avoided going into the Adame since her daughter was being very bossy telling the men and women to decorate the place. She insisted that she didn't want a huge party but that went right over her daughter's head. Everyone was more than excited to drink copious amounts of wine and party until the sun came up.

Against her will, Xena was blindfolded and guided by Gabrielle across the field. She tried to sway her to keep the blindfold off but Gabrielle insisted she keep it on because knowing her, she wouldn't comply. Gabrielle held her hand and walked over to Ursula's yurt in the middle of the day just like she planned. The two walked in and Ursula waited in the center of the yurt with an array of bowls, one filled with blood. Gabrielle hoped that Xena was going to be amenable or this was going to be a huge backfire on her part.

"Just sit down here." She pushed Xena down by her shoulders and the commander slowly sat down blindly and felt the ground beneath and she was on a rug. She smelled a fire nearby and a certain herb that she wasn't familiar with.

"Gabrielle, what is this?" she asked and her head wandered around still with the blindfold over her eyes.

Gabrielle chuckled and sat down beside her opposite of Ursula. She took the cloth off and Xena blinked, adjusting her eyes to the dimly lit yurt. She raised her eyebrow and took a good look at her surroundings and whipped her head round to Ursula. The bowl of blood did not go unnoticed and before she could get up, Gabrielle hooked arms with her.

"I have a surprise for you." she tried to sound sweet and endearing.

"You brought me to a shaman's ritual…" Xena sounded displeased already.

"Well…remember when I asked you what you would say to Borias if you could?" she laughed nervously. "Now, you can tell him everything!"

Xena's face went white and she stared at Ursula crushing a white powder with a pestle. She started to laugh and elbowed her fiancée in the ribs. "Oh, Gabrielle, you really had me going there for a second. Shamanistic rituals to contact the dead. Please…" she mocked the entire idea of it.

Gabrielle frowned. "No, no. I'm serious. This is my wedding gift to you. I know you've often said that you wanted to tell Borias things that you couldn't. Now is your chance. You can talk to him and be open with him. I'll be right here with you and Ursula said that she won't let anything happen to you."

The commander eyed the bowl of blood and stared at Gabrielle intensely. "You did all of this for me? Why?"

"Because everyone deserves a second chance to set things right and you didn't get that chance. I'm giving it to you. I care about you, Xena. Will you do it? For me? Please…" she laced her fingers together and bit her bottom lip.

"Let me get this straight: you want me to talk to someone who has been dead for over thirty years and you still want to marry me tomorrow?"

Gabrielle nodded with excitement. "You know a woman once told me, it's rude to turn away gifts."

The warrior quirked her mouth at her partner and pointed her attention to Ursula. "I will have the chance to talk to him?"

Ursula raised her eyebrow. "For a short time only so be mindful of that." She picked up the bowl of goat blood and Xena's stomach churned. "Drink this."

"Do I have to?" she held the bowl in her palms and immediately her stomach began rejecting it before it even entered her mouth. Ursula pushed the bowl to her mouth and she took in a deep breath and sipped the blood and coughed violently. Gabrielle crinkled her nose and Xena put down the bowl and wiped her mouth.

Ursula instructed her to lay down and she did as told. Gabrielle leaned over her with a big smile. Ursula grabbed the bowl of white powder and stared at the nervous commander. "Go to the Adame."

"What?"

The powder was blown into her face and she coughed and wafted the thick cloud away from her face and blinked rapidly, staring up at the two women gawking at her. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head and her head lolled to the side and she exhaled softly.

Gabrielle waited patiently and stared at the commander who appeared like she was sleeping. "What now?"

"We wait. I will wake her up when her time is up." She flipped over a sand timer and sat back, watching and waiting.

* * *

Xena jolted awake and felt the air had been void in her lungs. She sat up and looked around the yurt and saw Gabrielle and Ursula sitting together in silence. She reached over and tried to Gabrielle's arm but her hand went straight through her body. She gasped and pulled her hand away close to her chest.

The feeling of being almost dead was not very comforting to her at all. She rose from the floor and looked down at her body lying on the floor looking very much like a corpse, which was disconcerting to say the least. She stumbled backwards and exited the yurt.

Whipping her head around, Pannonia looked much the same and a couple walked right through her. She ran her hands over her body and couldn't shake that strange feeling. Not in the physical world anymore, she thought. Her eyes were directed to the Adame ahead and she walked over calmly, listening and watching the citizens pass by her. She reached out and tried to brush a woman's shoulder and her arm went right through her body.

She shook her head and walked up the stairs of the Adame and Ernak passed by her. She almost forgot that she wasn't physically here and tried to talk to him. Continuing onward she entered the foyer and Anastasia was pointing to the columns, instructing the men to wrap burgundy fabric around the wooden poles. She smirked and she turned her head to see Borias standing off to the side, leaning against a wall close to the entrance, watching.

So only the dead are here, she quickly realized. Nervously, she slipped by and he turned his head at the sound of footsteps. His brown eyes widened and he kicked himself off the wall. "Xena?" he scanned her body. "When did you die? I just –"

She put up a hand. "I'm just visiting." She tried to sound composed but her insides churned at the sight of someone she hadn't seen in over three decades.

Borias smiled and he grabbed her hand. He looked into her eyes and saw minimal wrinkles surrounding those blue eyes he missed. "Just visiting? You went to a shaman, didn't you?" he pried and she shrugged her shoulder. "You hate shamans."

"I never said that." She hissed.

"Sure." He nodded and winked. He looked back at Anastasia walking around the foyer and Xena followed his eyes. "This party is for you. You also hate parties just as much as you hate shamans."

"I've learned to like them." She said awkwardly, not knowing what to say to him. It had been so long that she felt a strange disconnect somehow, but at the same time, he was talking to her as if they were back in Pannonia over thirty years ago together. "Anastasia is queen."

Borias smiled at her. "I know. She's just like you. Stubborn."

"I'm not  _that_  stubborn anymore," she defends herself.

"I've been watching you, Xena. You are still as stubborn as the day I met you." he took a jab at her side and she returned the favor. Arielle ran up to Anastasia, bugging her with many questions and he smiled. "Watch out for that one. She will be more difficult than Ana when she's older."

"Yeah?" she mused and smiled at the princess circling around their daughter. "Borias," she turned to him. "I don't have a lot of time and I wanted to tell you something."

He crossed his arms and raised his thick eyebrows. She took in a deep inhale.

"I'm sorry for the way I treated you and I'm sorry that I didn't marry you back then."

He snickered. "You're apologizing to me. Wow you  _have_  changed, Xena," he said in his thick accent.

"I'm serious, Borias. I'm…sorry. I wish you could have been there for our daughter."

"I was there, Xena." He said in a firm voice. "I've been here the whole time and I'll always be here for you and Anastasia." he told her and that brought a smile to her face. "That Greek woman," he began and her smile waned. "She is good for you. She tames you. Don't lose her."

At first she didn't want to go through with this but she was glad that she did and she had Gabrielle to thank for it. "I won't."

* * *

Ursula slapped Xena's cheeks to wake her up. Gabrielle sat by worriedly and Xena's eyes shot open and she sat up slowly. She looked around and clutched her chest to make sure her entire body was with her this time. Gabrielle smiled and she grabbed her hand.

"How was it? Did you say everything you wanted to?"

The commander nodded. "Thank you, Gabrielle." she leaned over and kissed her on the lips firmly. "That is the best present I've had in a long time."

"You're not mad at me for doing this?"

"No, I couldn't stay mad at you." she wrapped her arms around Gabrielle and squeezed her tightly. "I'd do anything for you. I'd die for you."

Gabrielle squinted her eyes and pulled away. "Must have been some meeting," she joked. "I'm glad you were able to finally tell him how you felt."

"He said…he's been watching the whole time. I can tell he is very proud of Ana."

"Does he know about me?" the governor curiously asked.

Xena smirked and looked around the yurt. "He said that you are good for me. He's always been a good judge of character." She says teasingly.

* * *

Inside the elaborately decorated Adame, Xena stood in front of Gabrielle with a big smile on her face. Although she did not wear a dress, she chose her best black and gold vest, the colors of the empire of course, and her formal boots and long cape that dragged on the floor. She also did wear the kozak that Gabrielle made for her which she briefly eyed Borias' sister, Busra and gave her a nod of recognition. The women winked from afar.

Gabrielle wore the special kozak and attempted to wear it days ahead, but resisted the urge. She held onto Xena's sweaty hands and gripped them firmly. After so long, Xena had made fun of marriage and often advised against it, but she wondered what changed her mind. She was glad that she did change her mind for the better and probably realized that the blonde Greek wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Anastasia held the sword in her hand, decorated in a white ribbon and flowers. She cleared her throat and the two kept staring at each other. She snapped her fingers in between them and they turned. "Mother…" she nudged her head.

"Oh, right." Xena bent her legs to somewhat match Gabrielle's height. Ana grinned and balanced the sword on both of their heads. She kissed their cheeks and spoke a few words which Gabrielle completely ignored as she was engrossed in the person in front of her.

Ana took the sword off their heads and stepped backward. The entire ballroom was utterly and eerily silent, but they waited patiently. The commander's smile widened and she cupped the governor's cheeks and kissed her firmly. Everyone clapped and cheered.

Arielle ran over with a glass of wine. "Now we can drink the wine!" she was about to take a sip.

Xena turned around at her granddaughter and frowned then snatched the wine glass from her. She finished off the wine and smashed the glass on the ground. She felt a tightening in her chest from drinking the wine too quickly. She pointed at her anxious granddaughter. "Don't…drink wine. It's not good for you."

"I just want to celebrate with everyone else!" the princess cheered.

"Borias was right about you," she wagged her finger and Anastasia looked at her. She grabbed her daughter's shoulder. "I just want to let you know that your father cares a lot about you. He's very proud of you." she kissed her forehead and Ana raised a suspicious brow. "I drank that too fast." She put a hand over her chest.

Ana's eyes darted in between her two most favorite people in the world. "Is there something I'm missing here?"

"Anastasia," Gabrielle wrapped an arm around her. "You're too suspicious. Sounds like someone I know." She smiled at the person who now she could call her wife. "So, this is supposed to be a party, right? Where's the wine?"

Arielle raised her hand. "I will get some!"

Ana snatched her daughter's hand. "No you will not."

"No, no." Xena protested. "Let her have some wine, Ana."

"Excuse me?" she glared at her mother.

"Arielle, you want to try the wine, don't you?" she bent over and the princess nodded. A tray of wine was brought to them and she took a glass and handed it to her overly eager granddaughter. Arielle's eyes widened and she sniffed the wine and frowned, a bit uncertain. "Go for it,  _tatli kiz_."

The princess took a small sip and her face contorted and she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She coughed and shoved the glass into her grandmother's face. "I don't like it."

"Yeah, I thought so." Xena stood and handed the wine to her wife. "Do you want to dance with me?" she extended her hand.

Gabrielle's face lit up. "Really? You actually are asking me to dance? Wait, is this a trick…"

"No but it's about to be if you don't grab my hand."

She handed the wine to Anastasia and grabbed her wife's hand and pulled her onto the floor with everyone else who was dancing in a large circle together. Anastasia smiled at the two and her daughter tugged on her pants.

"Did you have a big wedding with father?"

Ana sighed and didn't really like to think of that time in her life. "Not really,  _tatli kiz_."

"How come you guys got a divorce? Is it because you didn't like him anymore?"

"No of course not." She knelt down and grazed her daughter's cheek. "I love your father, but not like the way I love Ellac. I've known Ellac for a very long time."

"So, how come grandma and Gabby took a long time to get married? They knew each other for a long time too."

The queen stopped herself from laughing. "You're right. I don't really have an answer for you."

"I know the answer. Grandma's stubborn like you!" she laughed and Ana's mouth turned into a pout.

"I am not stubborn."

"Ellac said you would say that."

"Did he?" she let out a sarcastic laugh and glared at her husband who was talking to their son and Farah. "Why don't you run along and join your grandmother and Gabrielle."

"Is he in trouble?" she giggled and her mother pointed to the dance circle. "Okay I'm going, I'm going."

Farah hooked arms with her husband and kept smiling at everyone dancing together. "Your grandmother looks really happy." She noticed and Xena held her new wife's hand and Arielle's as they danced around the circle together.

He nodded. "For someone who hates parties, she is having a good time."

"You didn't marry me just because of the baby, right?"

"No of course not." He brought her close and kissed her temple. He watched his mother walk over to his father and slap him on the shoulder. He cringed and felt the pain from afar. "Oh no, she's mad."

"I wonder what your father did this time," she whispered.

"Hey," he grabbed her hands and tried pulling onto the floor. "You want to dance with me?"

She shook her head. "No, no, no, Csaba. I can't dance like  _that_!" she looked at the women jumping back and forth, clapping their hands and spinning around.

"We don't have to dance like everyone else. We'll dance slowly, just you and me. Come on." He kissed her hand. "Come on…" he begged her and she finally relented.

"You told Arielle I was stubborn?!" Ana slapped her husband again and he flinched.

"Well, it's not like it isn't the truth!" he laughed and she raised her hand to hit him again and he stepped backward.

Just as she was about to hit him she felt something grasp her shoulder and shivered at the touch. She spun around and looked around. Her hand came to her shoulder and she rubbed it several times. Ellac touched her other shoulder and she gasped.

"Are you alright?"

She turned around again and eyed her mother dancing with Gabrielle in the outer rim of the circle. "Yes, I'm fine." Her eyes roamed the ceiling and the entire circumference of the ballroom.

Xena exited the circle and snatched her daughter's hand. "Come dance with us, Ana. Don't be so stubborn," she winked.


	30. Chapter 30

**This chapter is so long because I couldn't decide where to end it lol. A lot happening here though between everyone.**

Chapter 30 – _We Come Bearing Gifts_

Xena laced up her boots and a hand grazed her bare back. She hid her smile and her skin tremors slightly under the subtle touch, but she tried to pay no attention to it, especially since her now wife couldn't keep her hands away, more than ever before. The fingers traced along a few scars received during Zeno's reign and she sighed slightly and reached for her black blouse but a hand grabbed her wrist.

Turning around, she stared into the emerald eyes that were neither sweet nor upset but rather compassionate. Gabrielle finally emit a lip grin to relieve the tension between the two. She knew all too well how Xena felt about the scars on her body and they were not marks to be proud of. Throughout their years during war, never had she seen her wife's body so mangled before until Zeno's men whipped her and beat her nearly to death and to top it off, they crucified her. But obviously it failed since she was found alive luckily by Bey Malka and the other Nezak Huns.

Out of everyone they had conflict with, be it Valentinian, Aetius, Theodosius,Theodoric, Yazdgerd, Magnus, Zeno, Peroz and Hormizd, none of them were prepared for Boareks and the destruction she caused. The Romans had always been a burden to the Huns and some were allies at one point like Anastasius, but now they had Odoacer and Justinian.

Attila was given the nickname of the Scourge of God, but it was clear who the real scourge was. The Sabir Queen was definitely the scourge of the Huns. She did a great job of exterminating many Hun tribes but that didn't seem to deter any of the Huns in Pannonia from going on about their lives.

"Does it bother you?" asked the governor.

Xena turned around and slipped the blouse over her head. "Does what bother me?"

"The scars."

"No." she stood up and grabbed her black corset and pulled the leather laces in the front to tighten it around her breasts. "They are a sweet reminder that Zeno is dead and I'm alive. I'm sure he is laughing along with Boareks in hell. They would make a wonderful pair, don't you think?"

Gabrielle laughed and playfully hit her with a pillow. "Boareks would wipe the floor with him. She was the coldest and cruelest woman I've ever met."

"The only reason she had children was so they could take their father's place. So much for that!" Xena snickered smugly and grabbed her winter cloak and slipped her arms through the long bell sleeves then cinched her waist with a heavy thick silver belt. She donned her headdress and tucked her bangs inside the piece.

"How do I look?" she placed her hands on her wide hips and Gabrielle raised her eyebrow, feigning confirmation then rubbed her chin.

"Very intimidating." She mused.

Xena groaned and crossed her arms. "I want to look approachable, not intimidating. I want the Kidarites to like me, not fear me."

The governor slapped her knee and let out a hearty laugh. "That's a first!"

She gave a hard eye roll and grabbed her sword and sheath then exited the bedroom. Gabrielle stumbled to find her robe and Xena poked her head out of the yurt curtain and looked at a Chinese caravan riding into Pannonia. She guessed the man leading the caravan was the emperor and the carriages behind him contained his wife and possibly some other important family members.

"Oh Gabrielle you gotta see this." She waved her hand and the blonde hurried over and poked her head outside. "I didn't know the Chinese were coming here."

Gabrielle's jaw dropped. "Neither did I…"

"What?" she turned her head. "You're supposed to know everything. Have you been slacking on your duties as governor?" she teases.

"Shut up." She slapped her wife on the arm.

Xena wrapped the sheath on her hip and slipped the blade inside. "I can't wait to see Anastasia lose it when she sees the huge Chinese caravan and the Kidarites in the same place!"

"Do you enjoy watching your daughter suffer?"

"Pft, no. Gabrielle, what kind of mother do you think I am?" she shrugged her shoulder. "I'm going to introduce myself." She stepped outside the yurt and Gabrielle pulled her back in.

"Can I get dressed first? I want to come too!"

Xena's smug smile crossed her face and she leaned down to the petite blonde. "Maybe you should have gotten ready an hour ago instead of lying in bed all morning."

* * *

Anastasia and Ellac stood together in front of the steps of the Adame with forced smiles on their faces. They were glued to the Chinese riding towards them at a slow trot. The two carriages behind the emperor did seem a bit ominous to them both.

"Why didn't you tell me the Chinese were coming?" he whispered.

"I didn't know." She whispered back through gritted teeth. Xena joined them with a certain smile that did not please Anastasia. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh I wasn't going to miss this." The commander nudged her daughter and crossed her arms, staring at the Song Emperor dismount his horse and approach the monarchs waiting to be greeted.

Emperor Liu smiled and bowed from the waist down to greet everyone. Ana and Ellac shared a strange look and Liu lifted his head so they quickly bowed their heads. "You must be the parents of Prince Csaba. I have heard a lot about you two. I am quite fond of that boy."

"That is good to hear," Ana answered. "I wish you would have told us you were coming, emperor. I would have made proper arrangements for you."

He smiled. "I apologize but my wife, Empress Zhenfeng, insisted on coming. She is anxious to see Farah. You have a lovely home." He glanced over their shoulders at the large Adame. His eyes moved towards Xena and instantly he knew who she was without ever laying eyes on her. "You must be the commander. Csaba spoke very highly of you."

Xena stepped forward, towering over the emperor. She grinned and said, "He is wise to do so. Welcome to Pannonia." She gave him a curt nod. "Why don't you come to Farah's serata? I'm sure she'd love the extra guests. That girl is starved for attention constantly." She glanced back at her daughter.

Anastasia's eyes darted to her mother and Ellac squeezed her hand. "Yes. Stay,  _please_."

Gabrielle ran across the field and put on the green kozak she made for herself and breathed heavily as she stood next to her wife. She pushed her wispy bangs up into the headdress and adjusted her cloak. "What did I miss?" she leaned over and whispered.

"Oh nothing important."

Emperor Liu tilted his head to the blonde. "And who are you?"

She put on her best smile and smoothed out her cloak. "Gabrielle, I'm the governor of Pannonia." She extended her hand and the emperor frowned suspiciously. Xena nudged her and instructed her to bow instead. "Oh." She nodded and bowed her head to the Song Emperor. "Very nice to meet you. Csaba's told us a lot about China. He really enjoyed living there."

"I'm glad he took a liking to my empire. I hope we can all be great friends and allies." He bowed to everyone and Xena snickered under her breath. "I brought my mother, wife and my two daughters."

Xena looked at the women stepping out of their carriages, dressed in fine silk crimson robes and their hair done perfectly in odd shapes that she had never seen before. "He brought the whole empire with him," she mused and Gabrielle elbowed her in the ribs.

The mother of the emperor, Empress Dowager Shen, stepped out of the carriage with the help of her servants. She looked around and smoothed out her black as night hair which was wrapped in a fan-like shape around her head. Ana looked at the woman strangely and there was a certain presence the woman carried when she made an appearance. Even the emperor seemed somewhat shy around his own mother.

Xena watched the elder Empress make her way towards them and she had a smile on her face the entire time. "I can tell you right now that she and Kreka are not going to get along." She whispered to her wife. "There can only be  _one_  queen mother." She joked. Gabrielle slapped her forehead and desperately did not want another tense relationship with elder queens like Kreka had with Tuya.

* * *

Farah sat in the women's quarters on a low sofa playing a game with Talat and Tolan. Arielle and Cera sat on either side of her, minding their own business. Cera was busy drawing on a notepad that Gabrielle gave her and Arielle was poking fun at the boys occasionally while snacking on a tray of grapes and cheeses.

Rabia walked into the room and Farah frowned at her sister. The two had never really gotten along throughout most of their childhood but that slowly faded away when they were forced to stay in Pannonia. The bickering soon began only a few weeks ago and the two could barely be in a room together without fighting.

"The Emperor of China is here and he wants to see you," she said and Farah's eyes lit up immensely.

"I'll be there in a moment." She set down the marbles on the table and heard Arielle laugh beside her. She raised her eyebrow at the sassy princess.

Arielle threw a grape into her mouth and stretched her legs out on the couch. "More like you'll be there in an hour." She teased the Czarina.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You take forever to get off a couch!" Arielle laughed. Cera overheard the conversation and rolled her eyes while continuing to draw on the notepad in her lap. "By the time you get up, the emperor will be packing to go back to China!" she laughed louder and the boys chuckled softly.

Rabia rolled her eyes and extended her hand to her little sister. Farah huffed and raised her hand. "I am perfectly capable of getting up by myself." She placed her hands on either side of her and took in a deep breath to brace herself. Arielle smiled smugly and snacked on the cheese. She tried to push herself off the couch and failed.

"Farah, just let me help you," Rabia insisted.

"No! I can do it by myself!" she persisted and grabbed onto the table and leaned forward to get up and sat back down, breathing heavily. "Okay, I need help," she mumbled. Rabia smirked and grabbed her by the hands and slowly lifted her off the couch.

Arielle laughed. "See, I told you."

Farah glared at the princess and kicked the cushion and Arielle fell onto the ground. Now all of the boys were laughing and Cera covered her mouth, giggling. Arielle growled and lifted her veil of curls over her head. Farah gave a cocky grin and left the room with her sister.

"What are you maggots laughing at?!" she yelled at the boys and her sister. The smaller children quieted down and she stood up, fixing her hair and pants.

* * *

With the entire Song royal family in the foyer, Farah finally came to greet them with her sister. She smiled at Empress Zhenfeng and her husband. She smoothed out her hair and hurried over to welcome them. She hugged the empress and kissed her cheeks. "Thank you so much for coming! I didn't think you were going to come!"

Anastasia raised her eyebrow. "What?  _You_  invited them?"

"Yes to my serata of course," the young Czarina kept smiling and she looked around at the other Huns and they all had frowns on their faces, especially Gabrielle. "Is…that a problem?"

Ana forced a smile just as she did when the Chinese arrived earlier. " _No_ …of course not."

"Liar," Xena muttered and her daughter pinched her arm. "Why don't you introduce us to everyone, Emperor." She suggested and Anastasia titled her head towards her with wild eyes to which she ignored.

Emperor Liu nodded. "Of course. This is my wife, Empress Zhenfeng," he waved his hand at her and the fair skinned empress smiled at everyone and bowed her head slightly. "And my mother, Empress Dowager Shen." He placed a hand on her shoulder and the elder empress' lips turned into a brief tight smile and she did not bother to bow her head at all to any of the Huns. "And my daughters, Bosi and Bouyan."

The girls stepped forward, thirteen and fifteen, fair skinned just like their mother and light brown eyes. Princess Bosi stepped forward and pulled out a small box from her silk robes and dropped to her knees in front of Anastasia. She held the box upward and Ana graciously took the gift and pat the girl on the shoulder so she could stand up.

"It is an honor to be welcomed into your home, your highness." The princess said with a shy smile.

"Aren't you sweet." Ana tapped her fingers on the box and grabbed Farah's hand. "If you'll excuse me, I need to borrow Farah for a moment." She nodded at everyone and escorted the eager Czarina away. "Gabrielle!" she called out and the blonde governor ran to follow.

Everyone was silent and staring at one another until Kreka walked into the foyer, a bit shocked to see a group of Chinese in her home. Xena grabbed her arm and brought her over to meet the Song. "What are these people doing in my house?" she whispered.

"Oh, you can thank Farah for that." She couldn't wait to see the look on the khatun's face when she finds out that she has to share her home with the Chinese. "This is Kreka Khatun, wife of Attila and Queen Mother of Pannonia," she went ahead and introduced her longtime cohort to everyone.

She pushed the khatun forward. "Please show them to their rooms, Kreka. The Empress Dowager is the Emperor's mother. Make sure she gets the suite." She says with a bit of mirth and the hazel eyed queen glared at her. "Don't be rude,  _khatun_. They are guests, after all."

* * *

Gabrielle paced back and forth in front of Farah inside Ana's quarters. "You can't just write someone, especially an emperor –"

"I didn't write the emperor. I wrote the empress," Farah corrected and she shot a mean stare from the governor. She rested her cheek on her palm and slumped down in the chair.

"I don't care who you wrote, the point is, you wrote to someone without telling me! And you didn't even tell Anastasia either! You can't do that, Farah! All letters are supposed to be approved by both of us before they're sent off."

Farah fiddled with her dress and stared at the floor, completely embarrassed. "I didn't know."

Anastasia put her hands on the arms of the chair and Farah lifted her head, staring into her bright blue eyes. "You are queen of Banat and you are still princess of Pannonia, but I am the queen here, not you. When you move to Banat with Csaba you can do whatever you want there but as long as you're living here, you follow my rules. You are the lowest on the totem pole right now, Farah. You don't get to send off letters without my permission, do you understand?"

Farah nodded.

Gabrielle casually gestured with her hand and spoke, "well now that the Song are here, I guess we should tell them that the Kidarites are on their way over here with Ebnedzar. They should be here by nightfall."

"Who are the Kidarites?" the Czarina asked.

Anastasia growled and kicked over a vase. Farah gasped and gripped onto the chair's arms and her eyes grew fearful of the angry queen. "We will have to conduct the meeting somewhere far from the Emperor and his family. I don't want any unnecessary fighting in my home."

"I feel awful about this. I'm really sorry," Farah admitted and Anastasia sighed.

"Just, don't do that again. If you want to write a letter you need to run it by me and Gabrielle first." She instructed and kissed the girl's cheek. "Now, where is Csaba? I think he should be here to greet his  _friends_ …"

"Last time I saw him he said he was going to hang out with Oran."

Ana's lip quivered. "Those boys." She turned around. "Gabrielle, go find him."

* * *

Kreka and Xena escorted the Chinese women around the Adame and finally to the women's room. Kreka opened the door and allowed the empresses and princesses to trail in first. Xena smiled at the khatun and Kreka shortly followed after her. All of the children stopped arguing with each other as soon as the women entered the room. Talat and Tolan stood up and put their hands behind their backs. Cera shyly slid off the couch and Arielle jumped off the table and, the tallest of all the children and oldest, stood in the middle of them.

"This is the women's quarters. You are welcome here anytime. No men are allowed in here." Kreka said.

Empress Zhenfeng knelt down and grazed a finger on Cera's cheek. "Why, what beautiful red hair you have." She complimented and the princess' cheeks turned bright pink and she shied away with a grin.

The Empress Dowager frowned at the child. "Why does the child not say anything?"

"She can't talk," retorted Xena in a sour tone. The elder woman raised an eyebrow and pursed her mouth.

Arielle took a step forward. "I'm Princess Arielle, that's my sister, Cera. We're Csaba's sisters. You must be from China." She greeted and the Song princesses chuckled and their grandmother shot them a glare. They quickly hung their heads and Arielle folded her arms. "Would you two like to play a game?" she asked the princesses.

"No, they would not," Dowager Shen answered for her granddaughters.

"Well, I didn't ask  _you_ ," Arielle said and Xena pinched her nose, shaking her head.

The woman walked over to the outspoken princess and touched her long curly hair. Arielle tensed at the woman's touch. Dowager Shen smiled tersely at the child. "Do the women of Pannonia not cut their hair?" she lifted the long shaft of hair and let it drop to Arielle's waist.

"It is a custom not to," said Kreka in a low voice, already annoyed with the woman. "Allow me to show you the rooms you will be staying in. You all will be on the first floor. The second floor is off limits to guests. I live on the first floor so feel free to come ask me anything." She hoped not though. She opened the door and all of the Chinese women trailed out. The princesses smiled at the children and quickly followed their mother and grandmother.

Xena stayed behind and as soon as the doors closed she slapped her granddaughter on the thigh. Arielle yelped. "Hey!" she rubbed her leg and Xena grabbed her arm firmly.

"Arielle, you can't talk to her like that! She is the Empress Dowager of China!"

" _Ohhh_." The girl's cheeks reddened. "Well, she's mean! And a little creepy. She touched my hair."

"You're unbelievable." She yanked her granddaughter forward and hauled her out of the room.

* * *

Gabrielle walked into Oran's yurt and was met with a thick cloud of smoke. She coughed and the two cousins turned their heads and she put her hands on her hips, staring at Csaba who exhaled a thick white cloud of smoke.

He cleared his throat and rolled his sleeve down. "Gabrielle, what brings you here?"

"Your mother wants to see you. The Emperor of China is here with his family."

"Really?!" he grabbed his coat and Oran set down the needle on the floor and Gabrielle eyed the ink and needles.

"What are you two doing, besides smoking god knows what?"

Csaba nervously laughed. "Oh, nothing. Just spending some time with my favorite cousin." He carefully slipped his arm through the coat sleeve and winced.

"What's wrong with your arm?" she asked.

"I'm just…a little bit sore. We sparred yesterday." He tried to cover his lie. Meanwhile Oran relaxed on some pillows and continued smoking the hashish.

She nodded, pretending to go along with his horrible lie. "I see. Must have been some sparring session. Where's Yeter?" she looked at Oran.

"She's eating with my mother." He smiled at the governor.

Csaba directed her attention away from his cousin. "I didn't know my mother invited the Chinese."

"She didn't. Your wife did."

* * *

Xena marched over to her daughter with Arielle in tow. "Anastasia!" she yelled and her daughter cringed then turned around just as she was about to leave the Adame. "Arielle spoke back to the Empress Dowager. Explain to her that she can't do that to royalty." She firmly gripped her granddaughter's shoulders.

Ana sighed and looked down at her blue eyed daughter with a big smile across her face. "Mother, I really don't have time to deal with this. I need to have an emergency meeting with Ellac, his brothers and Csaba before the Kidarites arrive."

"Anastasia, she needs to be disciplined. How do you expect her to be queen of Balaam one day if you let her talk the way that she did to the Empress?"

She folded her arms and Arielle titled her head, still with the charming smile upon her face. "You're right, mother." Now it was her turn to smile. "You and Gabrielle can be her mentors. Teach her everything about being a queen. You can teach her combat and discipline and Gabrielle will take care of the political affairs."

Xena shook her head. "That's not what I meant, Ana. You can't expect me to be her mentor. I'm a commander not a teacher."

"I'm ordering you. Besides, you don't have anything to do right now. The Romans went back to Rome and the Sabirs are defeated." She nodded and pat her mother on the shoulder. "Consider it a promotion. I'll add an extra five thousand dinari to your salary." She saw her son walking up the stairs with Gabrielle and hastily went to greet them.

" _Anastasia_!" she yelled.

Arielle turned around and gripped her grandmother's arms. "This is so great! You can teach me how to use all your weapons! Does this mean that I get access to the armory? I'd like to learn how to use a scimitar and that long war bow my father has."

After Gabrielle passed off Csaba to his mother she joined her wife and the princess. She noticed the deadpanned expression on the commander's face and Arielle babbling on and on. "What's going on?" she asked in a cheery voice.

"Gabby! You and grandma are going to teach me how to be a queen. This is so exciting. I can't wait. When can we start? Now? Tonight? Tomorrow?"

The governor blinked and stared at the commander with her arms folded and her eyes staring at straight forward. "Oh…and who decided this?" certainly not Xena, she noted.

"Mother said and she used her queen voice so she was serious." Arielle nodded. "Can we start with the hunting bow? I prefer that one. Aren't you excited?" she wrapped her arms around both women and pulled them together.

Xena put on a false tight smile. "Can't wait."

"Don't keel over with excitement now." Gabrielle teased.

"I'm gonna get my bow!" the princess ran down the hallway in a hurry and almost ran into a few servants along the way.

"I don't get paid enough for this." Xena grumbled.

Gabrielle laughed. "Oh come on. It's not going to be that bad."

"You say that now. Wait until you have to teach her Latin. That child has an attention span of a fly!"

"She's only ten, Xena. She won't even be considered for the position as queen until she's fifteen."

"Dear god." She covered her eyes. " _Five_  years. Hopefully I'll be dead by then."

"Xena!" she slapped her harshly on the arm. "Don't you ever joke about something like that."

* * *

The usual meetings were normally held in the king's conference room but since the Chinese were occupying the large portion of the guest wing, Ellac decided to have the meeting in one of the huge yurts outside of the Adame. Inside the yurt sat Ellac, Anastasia, Ernak, Dengi, Kreka and lastly, Xena and Gabrielle off to the side. The Kidarites were not very talkative and by the looks of them, they didn't look very friendly either.

Kreka had her eye on the so called leader of the tribe. She did not recognize him from the Ashina tribe but it had been a very, very long time since she had been in that area of the world. And since her tribe had been demolished by Justinian, she had no reason to go to the Mongolian steppes. Their features seemed very similar to what she grew up around, but she was not from that area originally. Her mother was from the Balkan steppes where the Atlyn Huns used to live and her father lived in the Mongolian tribe.

"Would you like some tea?" Ana asked and pushed the tray towards the dark haired man.

"No thank you." he kindly rejected. "My name is King Kandik. These are my brothers, Bolgaris and Bayan." He pointed to the men on both sides of him. Bolgaris gave a smile to the monarchs and a curt nod as well. He too had dark long braided hair, olive toned skin and dark almond eyes. Bayan, the youngest of the brothers, he looked no older than twelve or thirteen, bowed his head to everyone. He smoothed back his short black hair and smiled at the queen.

Xena couldn't keep her mouth shut for long. "Introductions are so fascinating. I'm Xena, the commander, this is Gabrielle, the governor and you know all the princes, queens and king etcetera." She waved her hand dismissing the subject. "Why do you call yourself a king when you've made no contact with us before?"

Kandik nodded his head at the commander. "You are bold."

"What my mother is trying to say is that if you've established a tribe of your own, why didn't you meet with us? We would be happy to split the empire with you if you agree to our terms."

"What?" Xena snapped. "You can't offer him that."

Ellac frowned. "Xena, we can speak for ourselves." He turned to Kandik. "We do have another king but he is not here; King Navaz of Balaam. Do you know of him?"

"Yes I do."

"Everything in this meeting is recorded and will be sent to Khushnavaz."

Gabrielle lifted her pen and kept jotting down everything Ellac was saying. Xena sat back with a scowl on her face.

"We will allow you to be king of your tribe but you will share your treasury with us and your army will belong to us if we go to war."

Kandik nodded and looked at his brothers. "Deal."

"Deal?" Xena repeated.

"My brothers and I would love to be part of Attila's empire. We were unable to thrive as Huns due to the Shahs in control. We thank you for getting rid of them for us. We recently heard that you conquered the Sabir Queen and her people. They were a great burden to China and my people."

Anastasia felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. "This is wonderful. Gabrielle will write a treaty and you can sign it by tomorrow morning. My daughter in law is having a senlik in a couple of days. It would be nice for you all to stay."

Kandik, Bolgaris and Bayan shared a look with each other and the eldest brother extended his hand. Ellac smiled and gave him a firm handshake. "We would love to stay for the party."

"Ana, aren't you forgetting something?" Xena hinted.

"Oh, right. The Emperor of China and his family are staying here. My daughter in law invited them."

Kandik raised his eyebrow. "We have no quarrels with China."

* * *

The night of the party, all of the women were getting ready and that included the Chinese women. Liu knocked on his mother's door and he peeked inside. She was being attended to by her maids and currently they were fixing her hair and wiping lipstick on her lips.

"Csaba and Farah are about to go into the ballroom. They are waiting for us."

Dowager Shen shooed away her maids and turned in the chair, staring at her son. "I do not see why we have to go to this party. I do not like these Hun women, especially the one with the blue eyes."

"Commander Xena." He figured as much.

"And the khatun is quite mouthy. She says snide remarks when my back is turned. She puts on act when I am around. It is obvious. I do not see why your wife is so fascinated with these people, especially the Banat girl."

The emperor frowned. "Farah is very kind and she is incredibly intelligent."

"It does not appear that she is. She is a twig that can barely hold herself up for more than a few minutes." She waved her hand and wiped the eyeliner along her eyes.

"Mother, we are guests here. The Huns were kind enough to open their home to us. You must make an appearance or you will embarrass me. I expect you to come to the party and don't be late." He turned and stormed out of the room.

* * *

An hour after the party began, Emperor Liu had yet to see his mother make an appearance. He stood next to his wife and two daughters who were very quiet and were nervous to socialize with anyone. He did not expect to see the entirety of Pannonia here and apparently many people from Banat came as well. The entire wooden palace was filled with guests in all rooms outside of the ballroom.

Csaba and Farah sat together at the front of the room and Farah looked around at the sea of people with a grand smile on her face. Anastasia brought Cera with her and approached the Czarina. Farah's eyebrows rose and she stared down at the redheaded princess.

"Go on," Ana whispered and pushed her daughter forward. Cera grinned and held out a small gift and Farah accepted it in her hands.

"Oh, for me? Thank you." she began to unwrap the gift and Csaba grabbed her hand.

"We don't open the gifts until after the party," he advised her. Slightly embarrassed, she handed the gift to Rabia and thanked the princess again and anxiously tapped her fingers on the arms of the chair. Anastasia held a long box in her hand and Csaba looked at his mother's eager face.

"Wow, so many gifts. Thank you." Farah took the box and handed it off to her sister and Ana raised her eyebrow.

Csaba chuckled and whispered, "You're supposed to open gifts from the queen and king."

"Oh." The Czarina's cheeks flushed and she took the top of the box off and smiled, pulling out a small outfit for her child. "This is so adorable! Did you make this?"

"Well, actually I –"

Xena crept up wrapped her hand around her daughter. "Yes, she made it by herself." She said and Ana looked over her shoulder. She winked at her and Farah showed Csaba the outfit and he gave her a thumbs up, already bored of this party but was enjoying how much fun his wife was having.

"Thank you! This is the best gift ever. I was not expecting gifts. We don't do that in Banat."

"We're not in Banat, girl," Xena chided.

Rabia leaned down and whispered in her sister's ear. Farah clamped her hands together and handed the outfit to Csaba. "We are not in Banat but we do have entertainment from my home." She said and Anastasia nervously looked at her mother to which she shrugged her shoulders. Rabia waved at the men waiting by the doors on the side of the room.

Xena went to go sit down next to Gabrielle who was eyeing everyone in the room. "You wouldn't even know it's winter with how hot it is in this damn place," she mused and grabbed a glass of wine from a servant passing by.

Two barefoot women entered the room wearing black robes and a veil to hide their faces. The crowd spread apart and created a semi circle around the two veiled women. The entire room got quiet and Gabrielle casually sipped the wine, watching intently. The two women clashed their finger cymbals together and spun around in a circle together. The black robes twirled around them.

"What is happening?" Gabrielle whispered.

"I don't know but I am intrigued."

The female dancers took off the veils covering their faces and long brown hair tumbled down their backs. They tossed the veils aside and smiled at the crowd with their pearly white teeth. Farah turned to Csaba and paddled his hand.

"You are going to love this," she whispered.

"Oh, I'm sure." He watched the women dance around each other in the long robes, very confused as was his entire family and the rest of the Pannonians. The Szkeleys didn't seem to be fazed as they knew what this 'entertainment' was and had seen it before.

One of them women unlaced the robe and it dropped to the floor. She had a long flowing red skirt on and a sparkly brassiere on, exposing her midsection. She turned around and clanged the cymbals together and all of the men's eyes went wide at the sight of the half naked woman before them. Her hips were incredibly wide and her waist small and cinched.

"Whoa," Xena sank in the chair and looked around at the others who were equally as shocked as she was.

Ernak and Dengi stared at the two women dancing side by side with wide eyes and their mouths open. Kreka stood in between her sons and she frowned at their ogling of the dancers. "Can I marry a Banat woman?" Ernak joked. She then shielded their eyes.

Anastasia covered Cera's eyes and she turned to see her husband fascinated by the dancers. She grimaced and stomped on his boot. Ellac hissed and smiled at his wife. "Stop staring at them like that," she warned.

"What am I supposed to stare at?"

Xena leaned over to her wife. "If this is what the Szekelys do at seratas I'd love to see what their weddings are like," she snickered. Gabrielle couldn't stop staring at the dancers and she wasn't sure if she was intrigued or a bit horrified. If any woman in Pannonia ever dressed like that, they'd be labeled as whores.

"From now on, we have parties in Banat," she added but her wife was silent. "Gabrielle?"

"W-what?" she was barely able turn herself away from the dancers. "Do these women dance at all celebrations in Banat?"

"I hope so," Xena smirked. "Look at the women," she nudged her wife in the arm. "They're angry at their husbands." She shook her head. "Men." Then downed the rest of the wine and observed the women come to a halt and drop to their knees with their arms over their heads. Everyone in the room clapped, except for the infuriated wives.

Farah clapped and grabbed her husband's arm. "Weren't they great?"

He kept gawking at the women. "Yeah…real great." He smiled widely and then his mother slapped him on the back of the head. "I mean, I didn't see anything. They weren't  _that_  great." He rubbed the back of his head and frowned up at his mother.

"Well, that was very… _entertaining_ ," Anastasia said and Farah nodded happily. "Thank you…for sharing something from your homeland, Farah and Rabia."

"Don't worry your highness. There is more entertainment." Farah said.

"Hopefully no more women dressed as harlots," the queen mumbled.

"Mother…" Csaba sighed and his mother's comment went unnoticed by his wife luckily.

* * *

On the far side of the room Arielle sat on a bench, away from the crowds. She kicked her legs and sighed heavily, very bored during this party. She couldn't believe she had do this all over again tomorrow. She used to like senliks but now she thought they were super boring and stupid. First, she had to wear a dress, ordered by her mother and when she refused, she was then ordered by her stepfather. Suddenly, Balaam didn't look so bad right about now.

Bayan, the youngest brother and prince of the Kidarites, walked over to her and she was too distracted by her own thoughts to pay any attention to him. "Can I sit with you?" he asked and she stopped swinging her legs and stared at the boy with honey colored almond shaped eyes.

"Sure…" she scooted over and he sat down beside her. She crossed her arms and turned her cheek.

"This is a nice party," he tried to make conversation. "I've never been to a senlik before."

She rolled her eyes and turned to face him. "I've been to so many that they are so boring to me now." She stared into his eyes and her mouth parted slightly. Bayan raised his thick eyebrows and she titled her head, captivated by his extremely thick and long eyelashes.

"My name is Bayan," he held out his hand.

"Arielle," she shook his hand. "Are you a Kidarite?" she asks and he nods. "Listen I don't wanna be rude or anything but…you really shouldn't sit next to me."

He laughed. "Why not?"

She leaned in close, "because my grandma will kill you," she whispered and pointed behind her.

He glanced over the top of her head and saw the commander talking with the governor. "Oh,  _that's_  your grandmother. I met her already. She's not that scary."

"That's 'cause you don't know her!" she sat back against the wall. "She doesn't like me talking to boys. My mother nearly slit my friend, Loric's, throat!"

Bayan nervously looked at the queen and rubbed his throat. "We don't have to tell them that we're talking."

"The women around here know everything and I mean  _everything_." She scoffed. "Hey…do you like weapons?"

"Yeah, I have a bow."

"You don't say?" she grinned mischievously. "Do you want to go to my room? I have a hunter's bow and a crossbow too. I can show them to you."

He nodded. "Sure." He got up and she followed and then an awkward moment of silence passed when she saw she was almost the same height as him. She smoothed out her hair and he kept staring at her. "You have very pretty hair." He admired the shiny tamed curls.

She waved her hand and snorted. "My grandma used to say my hair reminded her of a sheep."

"You don't look like a sheep, Arielle." He half smiled and she felt very small next to him now and desperately wanted this conversation to end.

"Come on, my room is this way. I have some short swords too that I think you'll like. My sister in law gave one to me on my birthday." She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall.

* * *

"I have to say, I normally hate these things but I am finding this night very entertaining," Xena mused and listened to her daughter and Ellac arguing in a separate hallway away from the guests.

Gabrielle sighed and tried to block out the bickering couple. "Entertaining being the operative word." Rabia made her way over and she sipped the wine. "Czarina coming our way. Don't be mean."

"I am never  _mean_." She hissed. "Hello Rabia," she greeted.

"Hello," the Banat woman forced a smile and pulled out two gifts. "Presents from my sister and I."

Gabrielle put down her glass and grabbed the gift, too eager to wait. Xena hesitantly took the gift from Rabia and studied her face. "You two bought us gifts?"

"It is custom in Banat for the women in the family to receive gifts during seratas."

"I am beginning to really like your motherland," Xena sneered. She opened the box and her eyes lay upon a gold sword. She pulled it out of the box and felt weight of it in her palms. "How much was this?"

"Cost is no concern to us," Rabia simply smiled. "Csaba paid for it."

"Oh, well then…" she lifted the sword into the air and twirled it around. "Very nice."

Gabrielle opened her gift next and pulled out a compiled pad of some sort filled with papyrus. She looked at the leather cover, etched in gold thread and opened it to see what was inside. She recognized a lot of the words but it had been awhile.

"Csaba mentioned that you like philosophy. Farah was able to gather works from Greece, Egypt, Persia and China and compile them together for you."

"Wow," she couldn't stop flipping through the pages. "This is the best gift I've ever received!" she couldn't contain herself and her wife stared at her. "Oh, I mean, besides everything that you've given me." She saved herself from further lecture later. "Tell Farah thank you. I really appreciate this."

"Yes, her gifts are very…thoughtful." Xena admired the blade and Rabia gave them a brief smile then head back over to stand beside her sister. "From now on, we  _only_  have parties in Banat."

Cera ran over and her brown eyes enlarged at the golden sword. She tapped her grandmother's knee and held out her arms. Xena leaned forward at the small princess. "I don't think you'll be able to carry this,  _tatli_   _kiz_. It weighs just as much as you do."

She frowned and put her palms together and put on her best pouting face. "Look at that face, Gabrielle. How can anyone say no to that?"

"You say no when Arielle makes that face."

"That's because Arielle's a brat." She scooped up the thin small princess and set her on her knee. She placed the sword into Cera's hands and it immediately fell onto her legs. "I told you it was heavy." She ran her fingers through her granddaughter's hair. "Why are you so sweet and your sister is such a pain?"

Cera shrugged her shoulders and tried to lift the sword and grunted loudly.

Anastasia made her way over and glared at her mother and daughter holding a sword in her lap. She didn't have the patience to berate her mother especially after the argument she had with Ellac. "Mother, where is Arielle?"

"How should I know?"

"Mom, you and Gabrielle are supposed to be watching her."

"Ana, I'm not working right now. This is a party so enjoy yourself. I'm sure she's off sulking somewhere like the dark cloud she is sometimes."

The queen sighed heavily and smoothed her palms over her slicked back hair. "I just don't want her to get into any trouble."

"That girl is a walking ball of trouble. Your father was right about her. I thought you were difficult but I was wrong –so, so wrong."

"What do you mean my father was right? What exactly happened on your wedding night? Did you smoke something?"

"No!" Xena yelled and Gabrielle laughed softly. "Gabrielle gave me the greatest gift. She took me to Ursula's yurt and we did a…thing and one thing lead to another and I was able to speak to your father."

Ana gasped and placed a hand over her chest. "You went through a shaman ritual? Mother, I'm shocked." She teased and her mother rolled her eyes. The thought of Arielle left her mind. "You actually talked to him? What did you say? What was he like? The same as you remembered him?"

"I apologized to him. I wasn't very nice to him all the time." After she said that she got hit. "Hey, hey. He's been watching you and he loves you a lot."

"Really?" that warmed her heart. "I wish I could have known him."

"Me too."

Gabrielle grazed her hands on the gold woven leather cover of the papyrus. "Well you could you know…go to Ursula."

"Oh no. We're not doing more of that shaman shit," Xena said and then covered Cera's ears. "I mean,  _stuff_."

"I'll think about it." Ana hid her smile. "I should really look for Arielle." She extended her arms. "Want to come look for your sister?"

Cera wagged her head and wrapped an arm around her grandmother's neck. Xena smirked. "Looks like she wants to stay. Good luck finding the brat."

"She is not a brat!" Ana growled and walked off.

* * *

Bayan held the hunter's bow in his hands and Arielle smiled. "What do you think? Pretty awesome bow, huh?"

"It's alright. I have a special bow from Mongolia. Only the best archers use them on horseback." He explained and set the bow down on the table. "I brought it with me. Would you like to see it?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

"It's outside on my horse."

"Wow, you have your own horse too?" she dreamed of having her own horse. "You know, I am practicing to become queen one day. Maybe I'll get my horse in a couple of years. How old are you anyway?"

"Twelve."

She smiled. "I'm ten  _but_  I'll be eleven soon. We're almost the same age. There are not a lot of kids my age in Pannonia. Everyone is either too old or too young."

" _Arielle_!" Ana's voice echoed outside and the princess gasped.

"You need to hide!" she pushed the Kidarite prince away from the door and opened her closet. "Hide in there."

"But why?"

"Just do it!" she shut the door and Anastasia opened the main door after knocking once. "Mom, what brings you here?"

Ana looked around the room suspiciously. "Why are you hiding in your room? The party is still going. Did you give your gift to Farah?"

"Oh, not yet, no. I forgot it in my room and that's why I'm in here." She nervously said and her mother raised her eyebrow and scanned the room and looked behind the door. "I'll get the gift and come to the ballroom." She said and tried pushing her mother out.

"Arielle, what is wrong with you?" she spun around and the princess widened her big blue eyes. "Are you up to something?"

"No, mother, I am on my best behavior tonight. Promise. Now, just go and I'll be out in a few minutes."

Anastasia studied her daughter's face and folded her arms. "Alright…but if you're not out there in ten minutes I'm going to come back for you."

" _Okay_  mom I got it, you can go now." She pushed her out and closed the door. She wiped her forehead and ran over to the closet and Bayan was huddled in a rack of clothes. "Sorry about that. I'm supposed to go back to the party so I guess you can't show me your bow."

He stepped out of the closet and brushed his sleeves. "What about tomorrow?"

"There's another party tomorrow," she whined. "But we can leave as soon as the adults start drinking wine. They won't miss me, I swear." She joked. She went over to her chest and pulled out the gift she was supposed to give Farah hours ago. "I'll leave first and then you can leave a few minutes after me."

Bayan scoffed. "Your mother must really hate boys."

* * *

Gabrielle lifted her head to take a break from reading. She was more preoccupied with the gift that Farah and Rabia gave her that she completely ignored her wife, but it wasn't like she was missed. Xena was busy talking to Cera, but it sounded more like she was talking to herself. Anastasia came back into the room and observed a few small groups dancing in circles together.

"Any luck finding her?" asked Gabrielle.

"Yes. She was in her room." Ana rubbed her neck. "She's acting very strange. She was in a hurry to get rid of me."

The blonde snickered. "That's not unusual for her."

"I guess so."

"Go with your gut, Anastasia. If she's lying then you'll know. I know I've been lied to many times by you," Xena smiled at her daughter.

"I have…never  _lied_  to you."

"Oh yeah? How 'bout that time I sent you to Greece and you were secretly seeing Ellac and you came back pregnant."

"When you are ever going to let that go?"

"Can you two not get into this argument  _again_?" Gabrielle muttered and dug her nose into the readings again.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

One Week Earlier

Empress Theodora made her way to the Hagia Sophia per her husband's request. She was escorted by the Byzantine elite soldiers and upon her arrival there were many people sitting outside of the large church, yelling and throwing things through the stained glass windows that had already been broken. She observed the men here and they were definitely not from Constantinople or any place within her empire.

"Excuse me," she announced loudly and the rabid men spun around, not happy to see her. "Why are you destroying this church?"

In the shadows beside the church, Ditron and Pirro stood watching the empress try to make friends with the displaced Thracians. Ever since the Atlyn Huns took over the region and they quickly lost their tribe to Boareks, the true Thracians who were occupied by the Huns, fled to Constantinople, hoping to find answers and a place to call home.

Ditron rubbed his chin and turned to his brother. "Does Xena know about this? These are our people, after all. She should ask her daughter to help them."

"They aren't Huns. I doubt Anastasia and her husband would allow them to stay in Pannonia." Muttered Pirro.

"They allowed the Bulgur Huns to stay after their Bey conspired against them. Xena may live with the Huns but she is a true Thracian at heart."

"She's lived with them too long, brother. She can no longer call herself a Thracian. She even speaks their language and follows their customs." He looked at the empress being bombarded with questions and demands which caused him to laugh. "She is hopeless. She is not as ruthless as Justinian but she is a piece of work."

Ditron sighed. "We should go to Pannonia and tell Xena about this. We can't let our people suffer like this."

"No. I don't like the Huns. They are very clannish and stick to themselves."

"Isn't that the whole idea? She is our sister."

"She left us long ago, Ditron. I know we have made peace with her but I still don't like Huns, especially since they ransacked our home and made it their own."

Ditron shook his head and hit his brother's arm. "The Atlyn Huns cease to exist now and we don't have a home either. Pannonia is big enough for our people to reside in. I want to go speak to Xena and if you are going to stay behind and starve go ahead." He flipped the hood over his head and marched to his horse.

The younger brother groaned and ran after his brother. "Wait!" he grabbed the reins. "She is our sister and if she says she cares about us then she will help us, right?"

"I knew you would see things my way." He smiled and helped his brother climb aboard. "It would be nice to see her again without the fear of being struck down by that Sabir bitch. We should have stayed in Pannonia but it was your idea to leave."

"Hey, we're going back. Don't give me lip."

* * *

Arielle knocked on her brother's door and poked her head inside. Farah and Csaba were sitting on the bed together, opening gifts from last night's party. The princess waltzed in and hopped onto the bed, invading both of their space. Farah frowned at her and folded up a dress that was gifted to her by Rabia. She set it aside and grabbed another present to open.

"You guys got a lot of gifts," Arielle mused and picked up a pair of really small stockings. "Isn't that cute." She marveled and her brother kept his eye on her.

"What do you want Arielle?" he asked.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Oh, nothing. Can't I just come say hello to my brother?" she put on her best showman's smile and he was not buying it at all. "Farah, you know how to do hair, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"Will you do my hair for me?" she pulled out a comb, cream and oil. The Czarina laughed and set the unopened gift aside.

"Why should I? You keep making fun of me."

Csaba gasped. "Arielle, why are you making fun of her? She's my wife."

"Listen, I'm really sorry about that," the princess set down her hair accessories and pushed them closer to her sister in law. "But I really need you to do my hair. My mother is no good and my grandma doesn't even do her own hair! Please, Farah, please." She batted her long eyelashes.

Farah sighed and grabbed the comb. "Fine." And Arielle clapped her hands then turned around and sat in front of Farah. She grabbed the cream and dipped her fingers in the thick lotion and ran her fingers through the princess' long curly locks. "Who do you get this hair from? Nobody else in your family has curly hair."

Arielle threw her hands in the air. "I have no idea! Thanks for doing my hair for me. I want it to look really nice for tonight."

Csaba now knew his sister was acting strange when she cared about her appearance. "I thought you didn't like parties?" he curiously mused and opened a gift and pulled out yet another dress. "Seriously? Another dress?" he got a smile from his wife and he set the box aside and grabbed another present.

"I had a really fun time at your party last night," Arielle mentioned.

"Really? Because I only saw you once and that's when you gave your gift to Farah." Her brother said and lounged on the pillows.

She panicked and felt tugging on her curls and winced. Farah's fingers combed through the ends of her hair and she played it cool. She didn't want her brother to find out that she was hanging out with Bayan even if they were just showing each other their bows, he would take it all wrong.

"I was…mingling with the Szekelys. They are so talkative and really nice." She covered herself.

Csaba drummed his fingers on his thigh and stared skeptically at his little sister. "Uh huh."

* * *

Xena stepped out of her yurt and placed her hands on her hips and smelled the fresh winter air. She smiled and looked around at the empty encampment. She figured that everyone was still exhausted from last night's party, considering it didn't end until dawn, which was unusual for senliks, but after all, Farah wanted to combine her traditions with theirs. And what a fascinating combination it was. Xena couldn't wait to see what the sisters of Banat had planned for tonight.

"Rise and shine, Gabrielle!" she yelled.

The governor came staggering out and yawned for a good few seconds. She put on her green kozak and rubbed her face and her wife turned around, laughing at how tired and disheveled she was. "What time is it? Can I go back to bed? Nobody else is awake!"

"It's early afternoon. You are not staying in bed for another minute." She put on her leather gloves and walked to the center of the silent camp. "Come on, Gabrielle. We have to train Arielle today."

" _Today_? Can't we do that tomorrow?"

"Might as well get started now since we have  _nothing_  to do," she mocked her daughter. "Where is that girl?" she scoped out the field and looked at the horse pin, figuring that her granddaughter might be there since she loved horses, but she wasn't. "I'm going to the Adame." She made her way over and turned over her shoulder. "Are you coming or what?"

Gabrielle grumbled and trailed behind at a slow pace. "How are you so chipper right now?"

"I didn't drink nearly as much wine as you."

"Yes you did!"

"Perhaps I can hold it better than you." she teased. "Get a move on, Gabrielle! I don't have all day!"

* * *

Empress Dowager Shen came into the women's quarters with her two teenage granddaughters. Kreka and Ursula sat together with the children and forced smiles at the Song women. She wiped her finger on one of the chairs and Kreka narrowed her eyes.

"I hear there is another party tonight. The one last night ended in the early hours of the morning."

"You should have been there. It was very eventful," Kreka took a jab at the elder Empress.

Talat spun around, "there were dancing girls! They had huge skirts on and colorful brassieres!" he put his hands on his chest and Ursula wrapped her hand around his mouth and spun him around. Dowager Shen's eyebrows rose, appalled at the boy's outspokenness. He had no fear to speak his mind and neither did any of the other Hun children.

Usually, Kreka would reprimand the children if they spoke out of turn but this time she held her tongue. She enjoyed seeing the woman so disgusted by all of the children. She wasn't even sure if she liked her own granddaughters by the way she treated them.

"Are all the Hun children mouthy like that one?" she glared at Talat.

"Meanwhile, your granddaughters haven't said a word since they got here. Did you cut out their tongues?" another hit in the gut from the khatun.

Yeter walked in and scanned the Chinese women from head to toe. The empress lips turned to a purse and she too sized up the Gokturk queen. Unaffected by the woman's glares and sneers, Yeter waltzed over to the table and poured hot water into a glass and dropped a few sugar cubes into the steaming liquid.

"And  _who_  are you?"

"Oh I'm sure your son will remember me." Yeter turned around with a big smile on her face. "Queen of the Gokturks."

The empress' stomach dropped and she heaved at the woman who caused such great chaos for her son's empire. "The same Gokturk queen who coincided with the Sabir Queen?"

"Boareks is dead."

"Yet you are still alive. Why is that?" she turned to the khatun. "You allow this filth to live in your home?"

Kreka gave her grandson to Ursula and stood up, glaring at the Song Empress. "She is not filth and she is our ally now. You are in my home now, empress, and you will respect all the women here, no matter their background. Do I make myself clear or do I have to spell it out for you? I hear Farah is fluent in your language –two dialects in fact. Perhaps she can explain it in simpler terms for you."

The Empress turned to the Gokturk queen who was stirring the tea. "You should not keep your enemies so close, khatun." She turned and hurried out. Her granddaughters shamefully bowed their heads and left the room, hiding their faces.

Yeter smiled and Kreka smoothed out her dress and wiped her forehead. She set down the glass and walked over to the queen mother. "You defended me." She acted surprised, and she was.

"Of course I did." She sat down and grabbed Kurt away from Ursula and settled him in her lap. "You are one of us now."

Ursula lifted her small coffee cup and spoke her few words of wisdom, "perhaps someone should cut out  _her_  tongue." She sipped the drink and Yeter smirked.

"Just who does she think she is coming into my land, insulting us like that? She is a guest here!  _Nankor kaltak_ ," Kreka said and then spat on the floor.

Talat and Tolan gasped in unison. "Khatun!" the boys said.

Yeter, still unfamiliar with their language, scratched her chin. "What did she say?" she muttered to her mother in law.

"She called the empress an ungrateful bitch!" Tolan cheered and laughed along with his brother. Ursula slapped both of the boys on the back of their heads and they quieted down.

* * *

Arielle came running down the stairs with her freshly combed and oiled hair. She eyed her grandmother and Gabrielle at the bottom of the steps and gasped. She immediately turned around and started running back up to the second floor.

"Hey!" Xena yelled and the princess halted. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Get down here!"

She huffed and lazily made her way down and hopped off the last step. Her grandmother lifted her chin and then ran fingers through her shiny and soft curly locks. Gabrielle folded her arms and couldn't believe that the princess actually fixed her hair. Usually it was left as a frizzy mess but now it was slick and the frizz had been tamed, much like when she came back from Balaam and Tuya used to style her hair.

"You're looking very elegant," the commander thought this was suspicious. "Who did your hair? Certainly not your mother." Anastasia was good at many things but taming her daughter's hair was not one of them.

"Farah did it for me." Arielle stepped back and smoothed her curls after her grandmother's gloves had infected it. "Excuse me ladies, but I have to go pick out my dress for tonight's party." She briskly walked away, hoping that she wouldn't be stopped.

Gabrielle and Xena shared a look with each other and stared at the girl completely bemused. "Hold it!" yelled the governor. "Your mother put us in charge of you, remember? I'm in charge of your studies and your grandmother will handle weaponry."

Arielle turned with a less than enthusiastic smile. "Do we have to do that today? I mean, we should really focus on Farah tonight. This party is for her after all. 'Sides, I don't want to ruin my hair. We can do the queen stuff tomorrow." She waved and booked it to her bedroom.

Xena crossed her arms and blinked several times, cocking her head as she watched her granddaughter run down the hallway until she rounded a corner. "Doesn't want to ruin her  _hair_?" she repeated the words she never thought she'd hear from that girl.

"Pick out her  _dress_  for tonight?" Gabrielle added.

Then the two slowly turned their heads towards one another.

"She's hiding something."

"Definitely."

Ernak interrupted the two and slapped a hand on the commander's shoulder. "Your brothers are here."

"My  _what_?" she turned and saw Pirro and Ditron waiting outside, bickering beneath their breaths. "I bet they're here because they want something."

Gabrielle lifted a brow. "They came here before asking for help because Boareks destroyed the tribe they were living in. Maybe they just want to see you?"

"Yeah right." She marched outside and her brothers stopped bickering and smiled up at her with those faces that reminded her of when they were children. They definitely wanted something; she could see it in their eyes. "What do you two want?"

"Wow, no greeting?" Ditron feigned innocence. "Have we ever told you that you're our favorite sister?"

She cocked her head. "I'm your  _only_  sister."

"Alright, that's it." Pirro shoved his saddlebag into his brother and marched up the stairs and glared at his sister. She smiled forcibly and he put on his best stoic face that he could offer, although it never seemed to work when they were children and she was a lot older than them. "We need to talk about our people. They were displaced by that insane Sabir woman and now we have nowhere to go. We left to Constantinople and they've been begging for aid from the Hagia Sophia. So, Ditron thought it was a good idea to come tell you and he suggested that we move all of the Thracians into Pannonia."

She huffed and turned to her wife. "See, I told you they wanted something, Gabrielle."

"Come on, Xena! Our people are starving and homeless! Ever since the Atlyn Huns took over our homes, we have been displaced. Now, we have no home at all! Why don't you ask mister son of Attila to give our land back to us!"

She grabbed her brother's collar and pulled him close. "Listen here you little worm."

Gabrielle rubbed her chin. "I am starting to see why Arielle calls her siblings and cousins awful names now."

Xena softened and let go of Pirro and smoothed out his collar. "Little brother," she says sweetly and he blinked his brown eyes, fearful that he was about to be accosted again. "If you needed help why didn't you just ask?"

"I just did…"

"Unfortunately I am not in charge of the policies around here. Gabrielle can help you." she grabbed her nervous wife. "She is the governor and she will take your inquiries to Anastasia and Ellac."

Ditron threw the saddlebag on the horse and ran up the stairs. "Wait, so we can stay?"

"I didn't say that. I said, you can talk to Gabrielle and she will tell my daughter."

Gabrielle ignored the snarky wife of hers and half rolled her eyes. "We would love for you two to stay here in Pannonia. I'm sure Anastasia and Ellac would have no problem with it."

"I know Ana is very generous. Can we come inside?" he slipped by Gabrielle and Pirro quickly followed. She spun around and was flabbergasted. The two brothers bumped into their elder sister and she snarled. They stopped in the foyer and marveled at all the decorations. "Wow, who had a party?"

"This place is starting to turn into an inn," Xena mumbled.

Gabrielle ran after the Thracian men and they touched the fabric wrapped around the wooden beams and columns. "We had a senlik last night."

Pirro laughed. "Is Anastasia pregnant  _again_?"

"No!" Xena snapped and he zipped his lips. "The senlik was for Csaba's wife."

"Wife? Csaba has a wife?!" her brother said loudly, alarming a few maids nearby. "You're right, brother, we should have stayed! Where is the twerp now?" he looked around for the prince.

Gabrielle walked in between the two tall men and wrapped her arms around them. "You know, there's another party tonight. I'm sure nobody would mind if you'd come."

"Gabrielle!" Xena hissed.

"If it means pissing off my sister then yes, we'll come." Pirro whispered. "I want to see Csaba's wife. Is she beautiful?"

"Oh, she's more than that," she hinted.

* * *

Csaba gathered up his clothes that he planned to wear for tonight. He rushed around the room and grabbed his best formal pants, robe and boots. He reached inside the wardrobe closet and pulled out a scarf and wrapped it around his shoulders then closed the door. He walked over to his wife who sat on the edge of the bed.

He knelt down in front of her and grabbed her hand. "I'll leave so you can get ready with my mother. Do you have your dress ready?"

Farah nodded with a strained smile and he looked into her eyes. She rubbed her lower back and felt a twinge of pain in her pelvis. He raised an eyebrow and couldn't ignore the pain on her face which was much too obvious.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go on and get ready with your cousin."

"Are you sure?" he squeezed her hand and she scowled. "Okay," that was his cue to leave. He stood up and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you in a few hours." He walked out of the room and she exhaled deeply and pressed her hand on her hip to relieve the pain.

Anastasia traded places with her son and she walked in, already dressed for tonight's party. She went over to the wardrobe and pulled out the second dress that Rabia had sewn for Farah. She pulled the rest of the dresses to the side upon the rack and lifted to her toes to search for a headdress on the top shelf. "Farah, where are your veils?" she called out.

Farah winced and was much too concentrated on the pain in the lower half of her body to respond. Anastasia cursed under her breath and bent down, looking for the kozaks. She finally found one that matched the deep blue gown and smiled, then turned around to the Czarina, face contorted and all.

She threw the dress and kozak onto a chair and knelt down in front of the girl. "Are you alright?"

"I…just feel really uncomfortable."

"Are you in any pain?" she scanned the girl and placed her hands on Farah's swollen abdomen. "I will go get Marsa." She grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bed.

Farah shook her head. "No, no I'm fine."

Anastasia pulled the blankets aside and frowned at the girl. "Get in the bed." She pointed to the pillows and Farah wasn't really in the mood to argue with the queen and did as she was told and climbed into bed and Ana pulled the blankets over her. "Wait here, don't get out of bed for anything. I won't be gone long."

* * *

"So, you're really staying here in Pannonia?" Arielle asked her grandmother's brothers. Pirro and Ditron shared a look and nodded at their niece. "Great! Now you can teach me how to use those swords." She eyed the blades attached to their hips. "Thracian swords, right?"

Pirro sat back on the floor and stared at his older sister who hadn't made a sound for the last couple of hours. Gabrielle tried to talk to her but it was useless. "You know who you remind me of Arielle."

"Who?!" she rose to her knees.

"You remind me of your grandmother," his eyes darted over to his sister who was obviously listening to the conversation. "The eyes, the face, the smile…the  _attitude_."

"Shut up," Xena snapped.

"Finally, you say something!" he teased her and Arielle crossed her arms, staring at her uncle intensely. "When did you become such a grouch, Xena?"

Gabrielle pursed her lips and sank against the wall. Arielle laughed and the two brothers witnessed that horrible glare from their sister. It was a look they never forgot as children and even then, as adults, it was even scarier than before. Ditron grabbed Arielle's arm. "Hey, so, how 'bout that swordplay lesson?"

"Don't mess up my hair!" she pushed him back and fixed her long locks. He chortled and took hold of her hand and the two left the area with Pirro shortly following.

"She's still worried about her hair," Gabrielle nudged her wife. "Xena…" she whispered and the sour commander glared at her brothers with her arms crossed a one leg over her knee. "Why are you in such a bad mood?"

"Bad mood? I'm not in a bad mood."

"Sure." She nodded and let the subject go for now. She was positive that it would come up later. taking a deep sigh she looked over and saw Anastasia hurrying down the hallway, ignoring everybody else around her.

Xena turned and got off the bench. "Anastasia?" she grabbed her daughter's arm and pulled her to a skidding stop. "What's the hurry?"

"I need to go get Marsa."

"Marsa?" Gabrielle stood up and clumsily almost slipped on a toy that Cera was playing with earlier. She gripped onto her wife's shoulder and smiled up at her sheepishly. "Something wrong with Farah?"

"I am not sure. She's not a woman of many words when she's around me." Ana sighed. "Don't tell Csaba anything. I don't want to upset him. Could you go watch her for me? I'll be back soon."

Xena's mouth turned into a sly smile. "Anastasia scares Farah."

"She does not," her wife whispered.

* * *

If Farah didn't feel uncomfortable earlier, she certainly felt worse now. In her bedroom she gawked at the women surrounding the bed with wide anxious eyes. Xena and Gabrielle stood on the right side of the bed and Kreka and Rabia stood on the other. She felt like a spectacle for these women and even the slightest movement in bed, she was stared at even more.

"It's really  _comforting_  the way you're all looking at me like that." She tells the women in a bitter tone. She sat up and scooted over to the side of the bed and Kreka pushed her gently back against the pillows.

"What are you doing?"

"Um, getting my water…" she nervously answered the khatun.

"No water. You'll have to get up in five minutes if you drink anything."

Farah sighed and settled down in the bed and twiddled her thumbs together. Anastasia walked in with the midwife and her head turned at all the extra bodies in the room. She closed the door and locked it behind her and walked over to her mother.

"I told you to keep an eye on her not bring in the hen brigade." She hissed.

"They followed me in here. What can I say? I draw in a crowd," Xena wriggled her eyebrows and her daughter groaned.

The elderly midwife set a bag down on the bed and the room fell silent oddly enough. Farah leaned over to see what the woman was doing in that bag of hers. Marsa pulled out a long rod and the Czarina's eyes widened in fear. She backed away against the headboard and scrunched the sheets in her fists. Gabrielle turned her head and could see the fear in the girl's eyes.

"Don't worry, we'll be here with you."

Farah shook her head and kept staring at the long iron rod which was now being sanitized with fire. "I feel a lot better now." She frantically tried to get out of bed and the khatun and Xena grabbed her arms and pinned her to the bed.

Anastasia came around and sat on the bed. "Farah,  _tatli_   _kiz_ , you need to relax. Marsa is very nice, you remember her. She's just going to check something for you. It'll only take a few minutes."

"Is that going to hurt?" she breathed heavily.

Xena scoffed with a laugh. "Boy, are you in for a rude awakening in a few weeks, child."

"Mother, you are not helping." Ana growled and grabbed one of Farah's legs. "If you would just cooperate for a few minutes, Farah, it will be all over." She tried to push her knee upward and the girl refused. "Farah!" Rabia grabbed her sister's other leg to help the queen.

Kreka put all her force on the girl's arm and lifted her eyes to Xena, a mere few inches from her face. "Someone should sedate this girl."

Xena looked over her shoulder at her wife who stood by and did nothing. "Aren't you going to help?"

Gabrielle raised her palms. "I'm not getting involved in this."

Farah kept squirming and Xena glared down at the girl as she had her pinned to the bed. "For crying out loud…" Xena slapped the girl across the cheek to knock her out of her hysteria. Farah's jaw dropped her arms went limp. "Pull yourself together, girl and stop flopping around like a fish. Let Marsa do her job and this will be over sooner than you think." She says firmly. "You care about your baby right?" she asks softer this time around and Farah nodded. "So, just relax. The more relaxed you are, the easier it will be. Do you think you can do that?"

Farah looked at all the women surrounding her and Marsa smiled at her from the end of the bed. "Y..es."

Ana smiled and slowly lifted Farah's leg and Rabia did the same. Marsa gingerly lifted up her dress and Farah began to panic again the moment she looked at the end of the bed. Xena grabbed the girl's face. "Don't look at them, just focus on me."

* * *

Arielle had somewhat of a spar with her uncles, but that ended shortly since she spent awhile picking out a dress for tonight. Cera already was in her dress and chose not to go outside to dirty herself up two sisters hung out in the ballroom and picked at the food that was being set out on the tables. Cera picked up a pastry and bit into it and stuck her tongue out, disliking it. She set it back down on the plate and Arielle cringed.

"Cera, you can't do that!" she snatched the pastry and finished it off. She licked her fingers and leaned an elbow on the table. "Where are the women? They are taking forever to get ready!"

Xena and Gabrielle stood behind the princess and Cera's mouth parted. Arielle grabbed another pastry and took a big bite out of it. "I donno why you don't like these, Cera. They're really good."

The redheaded princess tapped her sister and Arielle slapped her hand. "Quit it, Cera." She licked her fingers and Gabrielle smirked at the girl's obliviousness. Xena took the chance to tap her granddaughter on the shoulder and Arielle griped at her sister. "Cera, I said stop it!"

Cera grunted and pointed behind her and Arielle turned around and dropped the half eaten pastry on the floor. "Gabby, grandma…" she slapped her palms together to get rid of the crumbs and kicked the pastry under the table. "You're not in your formalwear! The party will start soon!"

"There's not going to be a party tonight," Gabrielle informed the princesses and they gasped.

"What? Come on! Why not?" Arielle blurted out and got a strange stare from her grandmother. "I mean, won't Farah be disappointed?"

Xena bent down, eye to eye with her sneaky granddaughter. "I'm going to figure out what you're up to." She whispered and the princess held her breath. "Farah has other things to worry about right now."

"Is she having the baby  _already_?"

"No she's not."

Gabrielle adjusted her kozak and snickered. "And your mother was very disappointed." She leaned up towards her wife. "I don't want to be in the room when that girl gives birth."

The commander stifled a laugh and stood up. "Well, Arielle, since there's no party you don't have to worry about your hair getting messed up. What do you say we sneak in a quick training session before sunset?"

Arielle stammered, "uh, well, you know, today isn't really a good day. I said we can do it tomorrow. What's the rush?"

"You're the one who was super excited about this queen training business."

"You're so right, grandma and to show that I am very serious about this, I will go to my room and start reading Latin." She backed away from the table of food. "I'll catch you two tomorrow." She ran around the corner to her room.

"She is lying about something but I don't know what it is." Xena conferred.

"I'll say." Gabrielle snorted. "She doesn't even know how to read Latin yet!"

Cera took a bite out another treat and Xena grabbed her hand. "Cera!"

The princess smiled with a mouthful of cheese and peppers. "Since we're free, why don't we play a game together?" asked Gabrielle and Cera looked up at the second floor and frowned sadly. "Your mother is a little busy with Farah right now. Maybe she can come join us later."

* * *

Arielle ran outside after the sun went down and Bayan waved his hand, standing by his horse. She wrapped her coat around her and saw her breath in the cold winter air escape her mouth. He leaned on his horse and smiled at her.

"How come there's no party tonight?" he asked.

"Farah's not feeling too good I guess."

"I hope it's nothing serious."

She shrugged her shoulders. "My mother will take care of her. So, where's your bow?" she had no desire to talk about her sister in law and her pregnancy at all.

Bayan smirked and pulled his bow off the back of the saddle. Her eyes lit up and he traced his finger along the weapon. "What do you think?"

"It's amazing! Can I hold it?" she held out her arms and he gently placed it in her grasp. She inhaled deeply and held the large bow and strung the bowstring. "This is an extravagant bow. It's curvy and real sturdy too!"

"Would you like to shoot it?" he slapped his hand on the saddle.

She was too eager to say yes and she really wanted to but the thought of leaving her family without saying anything, worried her. She knew if she left and someone found out, she'd get horrible lectures from her mother, her grandmother, Gabrielle, Ellac and the list went on. But she also wanted to really try out Bayan's bow and there was no point in sitting in her room all night doing nothing.

"I'd love to." She threw the bow back at him and climbed onto his horse.

* * *

Anastasia left her son's room and closed the door quietly. She sighed heavily and listened at the door to her son trying to cheer up Farah. Ellac came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She jumped and he brushed her hair away from her face.

"You want to go change? You've been in that dress for hours," he whispered.

"I want to make sure she's alright." She pressed her ear against the door.

"Ana, she'll be fine. Csaba is with her and he'll take care of her." He spun her around and looked into her worried eyes. "How bad is it?"

"Well, it's not bad, but she has a lot of pelvic pain. It won't just go away that easily. I gave her some tea but I'm not sure she will drink it."

He nodded. "Didn't that happen to you before you had Csaba?"

She smiled with a titled head. "You remember that?"

"Of course I do. I pay attention." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and she grinned and closed the space between them. She closed him in with her arms on his back and their lips met.

"Don't make me puke," Xena said from behind and leaned on the balustrade.

Ana wiped the corners of her mouth and Ellac stepped away from his wife. "Did you need something?"

"There's a little redheaded girl downstairs that really wants to spend time with her parents. I think she's tired of listening to my stories."

"You kept the stories kid friendly, right?"

"What kind of grandmother do you think I am?" she alleged and pointed her finger at Ellac who was ready to detest. "Don't even."

* * *

Arielle pulled back the taut bowstring as close to her cheek as she could. Her arms shook and Bayan watched her struggling from behind. She had her eyes set on the lonesome tree in the middle of the field. Her fingers turned red from trying her best to pull properly. He walked up behind her and grabbed her hand and aided her. She turned her cheek and smiled.

Now that she had complete control of the bow she released the arrow and it hit the center of the tree. She lowered the bow and rubbed her pulling arm. "You got a strong pull."

"Well I am stronger than you." he yanked the bow away from her and she mocked him with a cynical grin. "Maybe if you keep practicing, we can have an archery match together."

"That would be great!" she pulled out her leather gloves from her coat pocket and felt a snowflake drop on her nose. She lifted her head towards the sky and held out her bare palm. "It's snowing." She smiled at him and he looked at her eyes reflecting in the moonlight. "We…should probably head back. We're further than we should be anyway. We're passed the training fields."

Bayan walked over the hill and leaned a hand on the tree. There was a camp up ahead with several yurts and bonfires. "Hey, we should go down there."

Arielle ran up and wiggled her fingers in the gloves. She stared at the encampment and was unsure about it. She heard her mother tell her to stay away from West Pannonia because that's where the marketplace was and travelers outside of Pannonia frequented there.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Come on, I've never been to Pannonia before. This is your home so I think it's your duty to show me around,  _princess_." He emit a charming smile and she sighed.

"Fine but we stay in the brush."

* * *

They rode together on his horse and walked the rest of the way on foot and they knelt down behind some trees and bushes. Arielle frowned and her eyes were barely above the brush as she eyed the men around the campfires. Bayan was intrigued and poked his head out to see further. She pushed his head back down.

"Stay down!" she whispered.

He grunted and scooted closer to her and she looked down at where his hand was and it was very close to her leg. "Hands to yourself, prince." She said and he chuckled and moved his wandering hand to his own thigh.

"There are blonde Huns in Pannonia?"

"No." she studied the men. "They're not Huns. They're Visigoths."

Bayan contorts his face. "Visigoths?" he was unfamiliar with the name.

"We need to leave. I have to tell my mother about this." She backed away and then bumped into something, or someone. She looked down and her hand was on a boot. She looked up and saw a tall man with auburn hair glaring down at her. Bayan pulled out a knife and another man grabbed his wrist and pried the knife out of his hand.

The men grabbed both of them into a bear hug and emerged from the forest. "Ragnachar!" the redheaded brute yelled as he held Arielle. The man sitting by the campfire stood up and threw down a half eaten leg of lamb and approached. Her eyes widened and now she really wished she took her grandmother up on those sword lessons.

Ragnachar, as he was called, titled her chin upward and gazed in her big sapphire eyes. "Hun girl," he says in a raspy voice, hardened by too much liquor and war over the years. His fingers glide through the soft curls and he put a few strands up against his nose. "Perfume."

For once, the outspoken princess was too scared to move. She was frozen in this man's arms. She kept glaring into Ragnachar's blue eyes that almost looked to be white under the fire and moonlight. His dark red frizzy braided hair only added to his harsh exterior. He had a scar on his left cheek and beads coiled into his braided beard that stopped just above his breast.

"What's a Hun girl doing all the way out here?" he touched her cheek and she shut her eyes, breathing in heavily. He gazed at her black and gold robes and lined pants underneath. "Fine clothing you've got on."

"Leave her alone!" Bayan screamed. The blonde man holding him tightened his grip.

Ragnachar, obviously the leader of the bunch, raised his hand at his cohort. "Let him down Erik." And he did as told but kept a tight leash on the boy. The gruff red bearded man walked over to the boy and felt the texture of his clothing. "Wool."

He stepped back and folded his arms. "Why, if I didn't know, you two must belong to some royal family of some sort." He laughed and the other men laughed along as well. "Your fine wool. Silk. Gold threading. Boots without a nick on 'em."

Arielle's courage slowly rose up inside her and she spoke to the man, "you should let us go."

"I should?"

She nodded.

"And why's that?"

"Because…" she looked at the other men gawking at her around the bonfires. "I know people." She was careful not to mention her family and who they were. "And the people I know hate your kind."

"My kind?" Ragnachar looked over his shoulder at his men and they snickered while eating the rest of the cooked lamb. "And where exactly do you think I come from, girl?"

She nervously looked around and the strong man's arms wrapped firmly around her ribcage. "You're from the Goth territories."

He rubbed his beard and toyed with the beads in his fingers. "She thinks we're Goths, Sigmundr," he said to the redheaded man holding the princess hostage. "We're a little further north from our Goth neighbors." He winked at her. "Since you're here, might as well join us."

Erik and Sigmundr, the thick bearded men, carried both children to the campfire and pushed them down onto the cold hard ground. Before they could run away the men tied their hands behind their backs and bound them to a tree.

Ragnachar walked over with a leg of lamb and knelt down in front of the Hun children. He gripped Arielle's collar and smiled. "Nice coat. Must be fox. Hunt it yourself?" he asked and she gave him a deep frown. "Sit back and enjoy the music." He pinched her chin and waltzed off to go join his lesser men.

Bayan looked at the princess and hung his head embarrassedly. "I'm sorry, Arielle. This is my fault. We should have gone back."

"Damn right," she barked. "My mother is so going to tan my hide when she finds out about this."

* * *

The day was completely shot yesterday so therefore Gabrielle was unable to write the treaty for the Chinese to sign to sanction their friendship and alliance. Instead of staying up all night, which was one thing she did not want to repeat, she awoke early and head to the Adame to write up the lengthy contract.

Xena was on another mission of her own and today her mouthy granddaughter wasn't going to give her an excuse to evade training. She walked into the back of the Adame and passed a few servants who were still cleaning up after the party from two days ago. She came to Arielle's room and knocked on the door then waited.

"Arielle." She knocked again and received no answer. "Arielle, we're not doing this again. You promised today that we would train and I got roped into this." She waited another moment and then swung open the door. "Arielle, I –" she stepped inside and looked around the empty room.

She raised an eyebrow and touched the sheets were not laid in from the night before. It was very unlikely that Arielle would make her bed in the morning unless the maids did it for her, which they most likely did. She walked out of the room and grabbed a maid passing by.

"Have you seen Arielle?"

The maid shook her head. "No, commander, I haven't seen the princess."

Xena hurried to the opposite side of the Adame and walked into the women's quarters, interrupting breakfast with the children and Kreka lifted her head as she wiped Kurt's mouth with a cloth. She looked around and Cera sat on the floor, sharing bread and dip with Soran.

"Did Arielle come in here?"

Kreka frowned. "No, not yet." Xena nodded slowly and then panic set in. She ran out and Kreka yelled, "Xena!"

The Kidarite brothers stormed into the foyer and King Kandik spotted her just as she was about to go upstairs. "Commander!"

She groaned and turned around. "I don't have time for you right now."

"My brother never returned to our yurt last night. I hoped I might find him here."

"Your brother?" she stepped off the last stair. "The little one?"

"Yes. Might he be in the women's quarters with the others?"

"That's what she was lying about," she muttered and ran up the staircase. "Anastasia!"

Kandik threw his hands in the air and called from down below. "What about my brother?!"

She spun around and leaned over the railing. "Your brother is dead when I get my hands on him!"


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Csaba grabbed King Kandik by the collar and shoved him into the wall. Kidarite Prince, Bolgaris threatened to step in but his elder brother raised a hand. "My sister is missing because of your brother!"

"Might I add…Prince Csaba that my brother is  _also_  missing!" he spat in his face.

Csaba growled and put a hand around his throat. "She is not allowed to be alone with any boys! What did your brother say to her? He obviously convinced her to ride off with him!"

Xena sighed and stood off to the side with her wife and daughter. "Csaba, let go of the man. Choking him to death isn't going to solve anything."

Ellac walked down the stairs and observed his son choking the Kidarite king. "Csaba!" his voice boomed throughout the foyer and the prince took his hands off Kadnik's throat. "We don't need another civil war on our hands."

"What about Arielle? His worm of a brother is off with her doing god knows what!" Csaba barked.

"Enough!" Xena stepped in between the two. "We'll go look for her. They couldn't have gone very far."

"Well, if they couldn't have gone far then why aren't they back yet?" Csaba folded his arms. "No answer for that, huh grandma?"

Anastasia whipped her head towards her son. "That is enough, Csaba." She glared at him with blazing eyes and he backed off. "My mother is right. We will go look for them altogether, but not you Csaba."

He scoffed. "Why not?!"

"Because your mother said so," the king intervened. "We'll leave in the next half hour. Meet up outside near the stables." He waved his hand and everyone dispersed, all but Csaba, who kept glaring at the Kidarite brothers. "Csaba go tend to your wife."

* * *

Xena rummaged through her chest of clothes and threw out several blouses and dresses that were hardly worn. Gabrielle stepped in the bedroom and caught one of the blouses and ducked when a pair of pants was thrown at her.

"Boys!" she rumbled and pulled out a blouse and slipped it over her head and then snatched her winter coat and pulled her hair to the side. "This is why she shouldn't be around boys her age! She should have stayed here with the other children." She slipped the coat on and grabbed her belt and cinched it around her waist a bit too tight out of anger.

Gabrielle threw the blouse and pants back into the chest and rest a hand on her hip. "Xena, I think you're overreacting."

"I'm going to lash that boy and then break his legs." She took her sword and sheathed it at her hip.

"Xena."

"What?"

"They're children. Arielle isn't like Anastasia."

The commander pointed her finger in her petite wife's face. "I am not worried about Arielle. I'm talking about Bayan! He's a boy!"

"I'm very aware of that." Gabrielle smiled. "Arielle doesn't have any children her age around here. She probably wanted to hang out with him for awhile. There's no harm in that."

Xena leered down with wild eyes. "What about Talat, Tolan, Soran, Cera? There are plenty of children for her to play with right here in the Adame!"

"Children who are two to five years younger than she is and they're her cousins and siblings. It's not the same thing and you know it."

"Well…Csaba didn't grow up with anyone else and he turned out fine."

Gabrielle chuckled and rubbed her wife's arm. "Xena, the only girl he's ever talked to was Erzibet until Farah came along. He was really shy and he still is sometimes."

"Well." She paused to gather her thoughts. "Well he –he's a boy. It's different for him."

" _Really_?" the governor tiled her head. "So, you think it's okay that Csaba eloped with Farah but you don't think it's okay if Arielle goes off with Bayan?"

"Yes!" she stomped off and took her whip off the rack on the wall and exited the yurt.

Gabrielle slapped her face and ran her fingers down her face. "Xena!" she ran outside and grabbed the saddlebag on her way out and threw it over her shoulder. "You're being very hypocritical right now. Csaba got Farah pregnant within a few months of knowing each other!"

"Farah is not my granddaughter!" she hopped on the horse and adjusted her coat on the saddle.

"What are you going to do? Lock her up in the Adame until she's thirty?"

Xena dropped the whip in the saddlebag and smiled at her wife. "That's something to consider." She yanked on the reins and trotted to the stables to round up the others who were coming on the excursion.

Gabrielle grunted and threw the saddlebag on her horse and cursed under her breath and climbed aboard.

* * *

Arielle slept with her head leaning on Bayan's shoulder the entire night. The two spent their evening outside in the cold and while it stopped snowing, this year's winter in Pannonia was very unforgiving. The only warmth the two had been their fur coats and the bonfires that went on throughout the night until dawn. The two brutes, Erik and Sigmundr, stood over the sleeping children. Sigmundr, the tall redhead snickered and kicked Bayan's boot and jarred both of them and Arielle hit her head on the boy's jaw.

Bayan gasped and she scooted away from him then glared up at the two tall men. Erik knelt down and tapped his finger on Arielle's boot. "Aren't you two comfortable? Sleep well?" he slinked closer and grabbed her face and inspected her bright sky colored eyes. "Eyes like jewels. You come from fine stock."

"Erik!" called out Ragnachar. "Get away from the girl. She is not yet a woman and you are sizing her up like a pig on a spit." He grabbed his soldier and shoved him aside and smiled at the princess and prince.

Arielle breathed heavily and shifted uncomfortably. "This is my land and you are trespassing here."

"Your land?" the redhead knelt down on one knee. "So I was right. You are royalty. A princess. Well,  _princess_ , I should have you know that west Pannonia is open to anyone. We were simply gathering supplies for our journey back home."

"Then why are you holding us hostage?" exclaimed Bayan.

Arielle bumped him with her arm and glared into his honey colored eyes. He looked down at his lap and Ragnachar chortled. "You two are very valuable."

"My people will come for me."

The redheaded man nodded and stood up slowly. "I want them to come and when they do, we'll see how valuable you really are." He winked and sauntered off.

Arielle racked her brain and tried to think of all the possible scenarios that could happen. She knew without a doubt that her family would come looking for her because one, she'd been gone too long and two, she never left the Adame without supervision. There could be swords, fighting and possible death, but she came to the conclusion that she was going to be in severe trouble.

"What an asshole," Bayan said of Ragnachar.

"What do you think he meant by us being  _valuable_?"

He was only half listening to the fair skinned haggard man. "Who cares? These guys have half a brain."

"Not that guy," she nudged her head at Ragnachar. "He's smart. I wonder where he is from."

"Arielle, why are you worried about where he is from?! We're tied to a tree!"

"Shut up." She wiggled in the tight ropes and exhaled deeply. "He's not a Goth but he said he is a neighbor." She looked at the sky, trying to recall all of the geography lessons with Gabrielle but nothing came to mind. "I should really pay attention in class. Hey what other people live near the Goth territories?"

Bayan raised his eyebrow. "You're asking me? I live on the other side of the world and you're asking me?"

"Right. Stupid Kidarites."

"Hey, I'm not stupid."

"Yeah?" she pursed her mouth and mocked him, " _Hey Arielle, let's go down to the camp in the middle of nowhere in the dead of the night_."

He scoffed and scooted away to the other side of the tree trunk. "You didn't say no!"

* * *

Xena halted at the top of the hill, beyond the training fields and peered at the horse tracks left in the lightly covered snowy ground. Gabrielle pulled up beside her and put a hand on top of her headdress for fear of it flying off due to high winds.

"This seems kind of far." Her voice hinted a sense of worry. She looked behind her at Ellac, Anastasia and the Kidarite brothers trailing behind at a steady pace. "Are you sure they would come all the way out here?" she looked at the Adame that was barely visible from where she stood.

"The tracks speak for themselves, Gabrielle." she steered the horse to the left and followed more tracks downhill towards west Pannonia. "They have no business going this far west unless they went  _shopping_ ," she sourly says.

Anastasia trotted ahead and met up with her mother and the governor. "Did you find anything?"

Gabrielle nodded and pointed down the hill. "They went into west Pannonia."

"I told Arielle never to go there unattended."

Xena raised her eyebrow and began descending down the hill slowly. "You also told her not to hang out with boys and look how well your rules have stuck with her."

"What should I do then?!" Ana yelled. "Keep her in the Adame indefinitely?!"

"Now you're getting it _, tatli kiz_." She teased her heated daughter. "First thing first, we find the children and when we do, we go back home and then I beat the living tar out of Bayan."

Kandik steered his horse through the snow and tried not to slide down the hill. "You will not lay a hand on my brother, commander."

"We'll see about that."

* * *

Arielle stared at the men preparing their horses and wagons to leave. She narrowed her eyes at Ragnachar who was talking to his men from afar. Bayan yawned and shifted against the trunk and banged the back of his head against hers and she yelped.

She scowled at him and looked a few yards away at a group of horses. Her eyes lit up and nudged the Kidarite prince. "They came!" she wiggled her entire body. "Mom!" she yelled and Ragnachar turned at the loud voice. "Mom! Over here!"

Ragnachar made his way over to his little hostages. "Your  _mother_  is here," he slyly says to her.

"I told you they would come for us. I hope you brought some reinforcements," she smiled smugly.

"There will be no need for that, princess." He walked forward with his men and the Huns halted on their horses. He eyed the four women and three men altogether in a group. The eldest woman, he presumed to be someone of importance given her stature and clothing. The weapons at their hips were ready to be drawn at any second.

"You've come for the children. The girl said her people would come and she was right." He folded his arms. "Pannonia is a beautiful land, if I must say so myself."

Anastasia pulled out her sword and looked at her daughter bound to the tree. "Release them and there will be no bloodshed today."

Ragnachar smirked. "And you are?"

"Queen of the Huns." She tilted the sword a few feet away from him.

"Ah." He nods and turned to his men, smiling at all of them and they chuckled softly. "I've heard many things about you and your family. The clan of Attila is infamous and talked about around all lands. You're very popular in Visigoth territory."

Xena whipped out her sword and hopped off her horse. "Cooperate with us or you will be hunted. Release the children."

He put up his hands and backed away. "I will release them but I want something from you Huns."

She raised her eyebrow and Gabrielle intervened. "What do you want?"

"Five thousand dinari and you can have the children." He told the governor.

"We will not pay for them like they're chattel." Xena refused.

"Xena." Gabrielle firmly spoke and her wife turned around with intent to kill the redheaded man. "We aren't here to fight and it is clear he doesn't want to. This is political game."

"We aren't going to pay for them!"

"Ten thousand dinari then." He upped his price. "Five for each of the children. If you refuse my offer then I will scalp them."

Xena growled and Anastasia turned her head towards her daughter who overheard everything. "Fine. Ten thousand dinari," she relented and her mother spun around with a mouth ajar.

"Anastasia, no! We will give him nothing!"

"Mother, you aren't in charge, I am. We will give him the ten thousand dinari. I do not have time to deal with travelers who are just passing through." She narrowed her eyes and Xena backed away, glaring at the smug man. "Our governor will go and retrieve the coin and we will wait here."

"Excellent." Ragnachar reported. "My men will count the coin and then you can have the children."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and trotted over to Ellac and Anastasia. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she whispers.

"Just do it and we'll keep an eye on him," said Ellac. So, she left and took Bolgaris with her to ensure that she got the proper amount and due to Kandik's distrust of these fair skinned men, he wanted to keep an eye on them and send his brother with Gabrielle.

Xena sheathed her sword and folded her arms, staring at Ragnachar. "Where are you from? You look like you're a bit out of place here."

"We're from up north." He vaguely put it just like he told Arielle.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific. You look like Goths but your clothes are different."

"We live by the North Sea, heard of it?" he rubbed his red beard and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"You're far from your land. Why are you in Pannonia? This is Hun territory."

He shrugged. "I like your rugs."

She excused herself and walked up to her daughter. "Ana, these people are Franks. They want money for something. They don't care about Arielle and Bayan. We shouldn't give them the money."

"Mother, I don't want anything to happen to Arielle. If we give them the money they'll go away and I'll get my daughter back. I'd rather do that than slaughter them."

"It'd be easier to slaughter them." She mumbled.

* * *

Csaba paced around the bedroom and Farah watched him while sitting in bed, massaging one of her hips. She cocked her head and couldn't stand the sight of him walking around like an anxious rabbit. "Csaba, you're making me nauseous."

He stopped and climbed onto the bed. "Sorry. I'm just worried about Arielle. I don't want anything to happen to her and if something did happen to her then I'm going to pommel that Kidarite prince."

She smiled and toyed with his hair. "You're very protective of your sister. If we have a girl I'm sure she'll be very lucky to have you for a father."

He shook his head and laughed. "No, no. I am not having a daughter." He got up and started pacing again.

"You don't want a daughter?"

"No way. Daughters are too much work, for example, my sister. And our daughter would look like you and I just can't have that." He wagged his finger and looked at his wife who shot him a very frightening malicious glare. "Oh, well, I mean, I wouldn't mind if we had a girl."

She tapped her fingers on the bed. "But you'd prefer a boy."

"Yes! Now we're on the same page!" he smiled with his hands on his hips.

"You're incredible!" she threw a pillow at him and he caught it before it smacked his face. "I can't believe you. How could you say something like that?"

He knew he made a horrible mistake when he said what he did. "Farah, I didn't mean that I wouldn't be happy to have a girl. I just meant that…I…I don't know what I meant." He sat on the bed and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry but…have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" he tried to joke with her but she did not find him amusing. "You're very beautiful Farah and if we have a daughter I'm afraid that I will be chasing boys away from her." He raised his eyebrows and she softly smiled. "But I would be happy to do that."

She sighed. "But you still want a son."

"It doesn't matter. I'll be happy either way," he forced a smile and she gave him a glare of disbelief. "I'll go downstairs and see if anyone has come back with word about Arielle. Do you need anything?"

"For the last time, I don't need anything."

"I'll make sure Kreka sends some tea to the room."

* * *

Gabrielle stood over Bolgaris as he counted the coin and dumped into a large chest. She shook her head and tapped her foot impatiently. "This is ridiculous that this man is demanding so much money for two children."

"I would pay any amount to get my little brother back. This is that princess' fault."

"You can't blame her! They're only children."

"That girl has a big mouth and does what she pleases. My brother never gets into trouble and he certainly wouldn't let himself get captured by those white thugs." He grunted and poured the remaining of the coin into the chest and flipped the lid to secure it. He stood up and picked the heavy chest in his arms and glared at the blonde governor.

She walked out of the room where they kept all the stocks and coin and locked it. "This sort of thing happens more than you think around here. People don't like the Huns, specifically anyone from Attila's line. They'd rather see everyone dead in the ground than sort out their differences."

"Remind me why we decided to ally with you people again?" he turned and the two stared in each other's eyes.

"Let's just deliver the money and be done with this." She walked ahead of him and Csaba rounded the corner.

"Gabrielle, did you find Arielle?"

She looked over her shoulder at the Kidarite prince and snarled. "Yes, we did. She's being held hostage and the kidnappers demanded ten thousand dinari for her and Bayan to be released."

"What?!" he eyed the chest. "You can't give those people that money! My sister isn't something that can be bought!"

"You'd rather see your sister die then, prince?" Bolgaris hissed.

"Shut the fuck up, Kidarite." He pointed his finger at him and Gabrielle grabbed him by the shoulder.

She calmly explained to him, "Csaba, we have to go. They're waiting on us and we've been gone long enough." She nudged her head at Bolgaris and made her way towards the foyer.

"Fine but I'll be waiting for that little bastard when you get back." He meant as a promise and got a nasty stare from Bolgaris.

* * *

Xena walked around, keeping her eyes peeled on the Franks wandering around in their camp and preparing to leave. She kept her distance and did not draw her sword, although this would have been over two hours ago if she just lit into them and drove her sword through Ragnachar. Demanding money for two children was very strange. Never had she dealt with kidnappers who just wanted money and nothing more. She's had to save several of the children throughout the years and nobody wanted coin.

Boareks held Csaba and Farah captive for awhile and all she wanted was to see them six feet under. Money meant nothing to her. She was conquering lands for money, although Xena was sure that Justinian filled her coffer very generously. The Vandals who kidnapped Anastasia and Ellac didn't want money either. They wanted the teenagers because of whom they were related to and possibly sell them in slave markets if they could.

But no, these Franks didn't want to conquer the Huns, Xena knew that, otherwise they would have attacked already. Instead, they took the children and did them no harm which was also very strange. Arielle and Bayan were very quiet and knew what was happening but were fearful that this exchange could go very wrong.

"Where are they? They're taking too long." Xena told her daughter.

"They'll be here."

She murmured some curse words under her breath and walked up to her daughter and yanked on the horse reins. "Ana, I don't like this. Something about this isn't right. Who in their right mind holds children captive and demands money and nothing else? Arielle and Bayan are nobodies to them."

They turned their heads at the sound of galloping in the distance. Gabrielle and Bolgaris pulled up, albeit out of breath and red cheeked due to the cold air and harsh winds in this part of Pannonia. Gabrielle jumped off the horse and met up with Xena. She took off her gloves and waved her hand at Bolgaris to deliver the chest of coin.

"We have the money," she yelled at Ragnachar.

The Frank smiled and walked forward. Bolgaris glared into his light eyes and dropped the heavy chest on the ground. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to come back. You Huns do keep to your word. I like that." He snapped his fingers. "Sigmundr, count the coin and make sure it's all there."

Gabrielle scoffed and felt insulted that she would dare jip the man. "It's there. All of it. We counted it ourselves."

"No harm in double checking."

Xena shoved Gabrielle aside and put a hand to the hilt of the blade at her hip. "You have your coin, now release them."

Ragnachar frowned. "The deal was, we count it first then I cut them free."

"Xena, just let them do it." Her wife tried to talk some sense into her.

* * *

The Franks did as promised and released the children in their family's custody and went about their way back to their homeland. Again, Xena found that odd and suspicious that they just wanted money and nothing else. Strange kidnappers, she thought. But now, everyone returned to the Adame within an hour or so and a very serious meeting was held in the king's quarters.

The two guilty children sat in chairs, staring up at all of the adults glaring at them for the last ten minutes. They didn't know what was scarier: being yelled at or complete and utter silence. The family was split when it came to staring down the children. Arielle looked up at her mother, stepfather, grandmother and adopted aunt, who were glaring at Bayan. Meanwhile, the Kidarite brothers were glaring at her. It was pretty much an even match.

Finally, Anastasia couldn't hold it in anymore and she blurted out, "what were you two thinking?!"

The children flinched at her loud voice. She adds, "You could have been killed! What were you both doing that far from the Adame? Arielle, you know that you are not allowed into west Pannonia!"

Bayan turned to the princess with a frown. She sank in the chair and addressed her mother, "I…I was just hanging out with Bayan. He was showing me his bow and let me shoot it. We were going to come back."

Ana glared at the Kidarite boy and folded her arms. "Arielle, you are not allowed to be alone with boys! We went over this several times and you disobeyed me, Ellac and your father!"

She gasped. "You're not gonna tell father about this are you?"

"Oh, you bet I will. He's going to know everything about what happened."

"Mom, no! That's unfair! I won't be alone with Bayan again! Please? I promise, mom."

Xena rolled her eyes. "Arielle, be quiet and listen to your mother."

"But I am home safe! Nothing happened to me. I'm fine. I promise I'll only be with Bayan with adults around. Please?" she begged.

"You think you're going to be around Bayan after  _this_? You're out of your mind, child!" Anastasia griped and the princess got up and ran out of the room. "Arielle, come back!" she stomped her foot. "Arielle!"

Xena hung her head and wiped the sweat off her forehead and adjusted her headdress. She saw shades of herself in her daughter's voice and remembered her daughter having the same reaction as a child when she forbade her from seeing Ellac. They were only thirteen, only three years older than Arielle, but it was much of the same thing.

" _I don't want you ever seeing him ever again! I gave you an order and you disobeyed me!" she yelled and Anastasia's mouth gaped._

_"I'm not one of your soldiers! You can't give me orders!"_

She thought that Csaba and Farah made her daughter angry and for awhile she was but then got over it. But the way she was treating Arielle, was the same way she used to be treated as a child too. And the horrible thing was Ana was oblivious to it all.

_"I can never see Ellac again?" she asked in a soft voice._

_Xena frowned, "no!" she yelled and Anastasia's eyes filled with tears, running to her room._

"Who does she think she is? She still thinks she can be around this… _boy_ ," the queen glared at the Kidarite prince. "She's unbelievable!"

Xena sighed and looked down at Gabrielle who shared the same exact thoughts as her. "I'll go talk to Arielle," Gabrielle whispered.

She made her way over and set a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Anastasia, can I talk to you alone?"

The men of the room trailed out and Bayan stared up at the queen with apologetic eyes and joined his older brothers. He grabbed Bolgaris' hand and then turned around. "Your highness," he addressed Ana and she stared, waiting impatiently. "It was my idea to go to west Pannonia. I just wanted her to show me around. It was my fault so…I'm sorry." He bowed his head and went off with his brothers.

Now that they were finally alone, Xena sat down on the chair and patted the one beside her. Anastasia sighed and sat down, incredibly tense and obviously unwilling to talk or share her emotions. "Anastasia, I know you are worried about Arielle being around boys. I was too when you were her age and even all of my rules went out one ear and out the other."

"Oh mother, we are not having this conversation again. You're just going to remind me of how stupid I was for getting pregnant at fifteen." She stood up and Xena yanked her back down.

"Hold on. I never said you were stupid."

"You don't have to say it. I know that's what you think."

Xena frowned and creased her eyebrows together. "I don't think that and I never have nor will I ever think that." She grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry that I made you feel that way. I never want you to feel like that. You did what you wanted behind my back because I gave you so many rules. I was very strict with you and that's why you disobeyed me several times. Everything I told you, you did the exact opposite."

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying if you keep giving Arielle a bunch of rules, she's going to continue to disobey you. Next time, if she wants to hang out with a friend, whether it is a boy or not, she's going to run away a lot further than west Pannonia."

Anastasia deeply frowned and ran her hand down her thigh. "Like Csaba." She looked over at her mother who was smiling weakly. "What should I do?"

"How about this," she scoots closer. "Arielle can be around her friends,  _including_  Bayan." She felt the need to exercise his name with emphasis. "But I will be present the entire time so they won't get into any trouble."

"Mom, I'm not going to let you watch her every waking moment. She's my daughter, not yours."

"But I am always here to help and as you said,  _I have nothing to do_." She mocked.

Ana nodded. "Alright." She fanned her teary eyes. "I should have had three boys."

"Cera is a good girl. You won't have to worry about her."

"Just out of curiosity…" she wiped her cheek with the backside of her hand. "Was Ellac's mother ugly?" she was almost hoping she was then she really wouldn't have to worry about her youngest daughter at all, if she looked anything like her namesake.

Xena smiled. "Sorry, Ana. She was a very striking woman." She crushed her daughter's hopes and wishes. She painted a picture, "big green eyes, long silky auburn hair, gorgeous smile and a very nice physique."

" _Great_." She stood up, disappointed to hear all of that and some."I guess I should go talk to Arielle now."

"Gabrielle's already on it."

She scoffed and threw her hands in the air. "Why do I even bother being a mother if you two are always doing my job for me?!"

"You need to relax. You can't be in three places at once."

Gabrielle walked into the room with her hands glued to the princess' shoulders. Arielle looked at her mother with red teary eyes and wiped her nose with her sleeve. Anastasia approached her daughter and knelt down on one knee. She brushed the curls away from her face and gripped her hands.

"I will let you be around Bayan," she began and Arielle's face beamed. "But, your grandmother and Gabrielle will be with you and you won't go anywhere without them. Got it?"

"Yeah!" Arielle jumped into her mother's arms. "Thank you! Does this mean that you won't tell father?"

Ana pulled away and raised an eyebrow. "I'm still telling your father about this but nice try."

* * *

Two weeks later and the Song left Pannonia, although Emperor Liu insisted on staying longer his mother was very persistent about heading back to China. Even though Farah and Csaba were sad to see them go, Kreka couldn't wait to get rid of Empress Dowager Shen. She couldn't stand to be around the woman and now cherished the strained relationship she had with Tuya. That woman was more difficult to deal with than Tuya but the good thing was that, she was not family and she wouldn't have to see her on a daily basis.

The extra guests, the Kidarites, decided to extend their stay and Arielle was very happy about that because she could be around Bayan when she wanted, except she had four eyes on her the entire time, but that was the agreement she made with her mother. Xena, on the other hand was not thrilled that her brothers were staying in Pannonia indefinitely and soon her own people that she deserted over thirty years ago, would also be living in the same place.

Since she and Gabrielle were in charge of Arielle's studies, they spent the next two weeks teaching her and coaching her how to be queen. So far, the princess really enjoyed combat lessons even if she sometimes got ahead of herself. That was only half of the work though. She also had her studies with Gabrielle which she hated.

And this was one of those days where she spent hours with head buried in parchment and listening to Gabrielle correct her for hours on end. Arielle tried to write a sentence in Latin per her teacher's instructions, but her handwriting wasn't the best and it was clear she wasn't the only one who was getting frustrated.

"Arielle that is the wrong word. I told you several times that civitas and civitatis aren't the same word!" Gabrielle firmly said.

Arielle groaned and threw the quill on the table. "Screw this language! It's so difficult! Why do I have to learn this dumb language anyway?"

"We went over this. The Romans speak, write and read in this language. It's imperative that you understand it in case you have to negotiate with them. Your mother knows Latin. If she can do it, so can you."

She sighed and picked up the quill and looked over at her grandmother who was sitting beside her brothers, sharpening a sword. "Grandma, do you know Latin?"

"Yes I do." She answered without taking her eyes off the blade. "But Gabrielle is much better at speaking, writing and reading it than I am so you should pay attention to her."

Pirro picked at the grapes and smiled at his sister. "You were never a good school girl." And she paused the sharpening and glared down at him. "You were too busy with the boys."

Arielle gasped and turned around, distracted from her studies. Gabrielle turned the girl around and pointed to the parchment. "Arielle, we're supposed to be working here."

"You hung out with boys, grandma?"

"No, of course not." She stabbed her brother slightly with the tip of the sword. "Focus on your studies."

Pirro glanced at his arm and huffed. "You nicked my arm!" he slapped her knee and she grabbed him by the collar. Gabrielle turned over her shoulder and gave her wife a stare that could kill. She smiled at her brother and brushed his collar and pinched his cheek.

"Come on, Xena, you never told your granddaughter about your past?" Ditron hinted and nudged her leg. "Okay, I have a story!" he sat up and Arielle turned around, intrigued.

"Arielle, the sentence…" Gabrielle pressured her. The princess sighed and went back to writing but kept her ears open.

"Our brother Lyceus was out with a few friends, cutting down wheat stalks. Toris was at the blacksmith shop earning his keep and Xander went to the market. Xena was in charge of me and Pirro. We were pretty little at the time so we weren't allowed outside without any of our siblings. So, our sister," he wriggled his eyebrows up at her and she closed her eyes, embracing the embarrassment. "Decided it was a good idea to invite a friend over –"

"A  _boyfriend_?!" Arielle blurted out as she kept writing.

"Yeah, you got it kid." He winked at her. "Anyway, this guy came over and Pirro and I were in the kitchen eating. She told us to stay in the kitchen and wait for her. Obviously we were too young to understand what was happening. She took the guy into her room and then in walks in our brother, Xander."

Arielle turned around in the chair and the ink dripped off the quill onto her pants. Gabrielle grunted and slammed her fist on the table. "Arielle!"

"Oh, right." She turned around again and continued writing her sentence. "I'm listening!" she shouted and the teacher banged her forehead on the desk.

Ditron continued with his story, "Xander looks for Xena, calls out her name and no answer. So then he goes into her room and finds the guy in her bed! Fully clothed of course, well that's what he said anyway. Xander chased the boy out the window!" he laughed and high fived his brother.

Xena shoved him and he fell over onto his side, but kept laughing.

"What was that guy's name?" Pirro tapped his cheek. "Oh yeah! Damen! He was so scared, he never came back."

"And that's why you should focus on your studies and stay away from boys." Xena said.

"Wow, that story was so exciting!" Arielle balled her fists up and stared at her uncles. "Do you have more?"

"No!" griped Xena.

Gabrielle stood up in a fit. "That's it! I'm done! No more studying for today!"

The princess hopped out of the chair. "Alright!" she cheered. "I'm going to see Bayan now. See you guys later!" she ran out of the yurt.

Xena panicked and threw the stone down in Ditron's lap. "Arielle, wait!" she turned back, glaring at her brothers. "I'll kill both of you if anything else escapes your mouths." She threatened.

Gabrielle breathed heavily and walked over to the Thracian men and slapped each one on the back of their heads. "You're both banned from my yurt during Arielle's lessons!"

Ditron rubbed his head and glanced at his brother. "Damn, okay, okay."

* * *

Csaba sat up in bed, staring at his wife sleeping soundly. He had a big smile on his face and Farah's eyes fluttered open and she was startled by his green eyes boring into her. She rubbed her eyes and shifted in bed uncomfortably.

"Well…" he hinted excitedly.

"Well what?" she groaned.

"Anything? Do you feel  _anything_?"

Farah sat up slowly and ran her fingers through her messy hair. "No, for the last time Csaba! Leave me alone for god's sake." She rubbed her face and heaved deeply.

"Man!" he slammed his body against the pillows. "That baby is never going to come."

She smiled and turned around then trailed her finger along his bare chest. "I have an idea…" her voice changed from annoyed to sultry and his eyes widened. "I want you to have sex with me." She demands and his eyebrows rose. "I'll do anything you want..."

"Anything, huh?" he twirled a lock of her hair around his finger.

"Yeah, anything." She scooted closer to him and wrapped a leg around his. "It's a great…way to induce labor."

Csaba cringed. "Farah!" he pried her off and climbed out of bed. "That does not make me want to have sex with you!"

"Why not?!" she sat up and pulled her hair back.

"Because…because that makes me feel uncomfortable. Come on!"

" _Uncomfortable_!" she rose to her knees and punched him in the chest. "I'm uncomfortable. Don't you care how I feel?"

"Yes, yes…" he rubbed his chest and wrapped an arm around the small of her back. "I care very much about your comfort and that's why I want you to be very relaxed. So relaxed that you won't even have to think about anything else." He stepped away from her and she sat back down on the bed. "The baby will come when it wants to."

She cocked her head and gave a dramatic eye roll. "You've been bugging me for a week about the baby and now suddenly you're going to be patient?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm going to be  _very_  patient." He grabbed his thick winter robe and blouse. "I'm going hunting with Oran so you can eat with the women and I'll be back later."

"I don't want to eat with the women. Your mother is driving me crazy!"

He flicked the collar up on his robe and smoothed his hair out and pulled it up into a topknot. "She's just excited, Farah."

"Are you sure you want to go out today? We can stay in bed together." She hinted.

"As enticing as that offer is, I promised Oran that I'd go hunting this week and I ditched him last week." He knelt down and placed his hands on the sides of her belly. "And we're very anxious to meet you so if you would just…come that'd be great." He joked, speaking to their child. Farah smiled softly and pinched his chin. "I'll see you later," he kissed her lips and stood up, grabbing his hunting gear to leave.

Anastasia came into the room and Farah groaned. "God dammit…" she muttered.

"Farah, aren't you going to come downstairs and eat with us?"

"Actually, I'm not very hungry so I'll probably come down later."

Ana frowned. "Nonsense, you need to eat something." She opened up the closet and pulled out a long sleeve thick black dress. "Would you prefer the black or red dress?"

Farah sighed and ruffled her hair. "You pick."

"The red always looked nice on you but you look stunning in anything." She laid out the dress on the bed and proceeded to pick out a veil to match. "I'll help you change."

"I'd like to wash my hair first if you don't mind," she tried to come up with several excuses not to go eat with everyone else.

Anastasia nodded. "Okay, I can help you with that." She grabbed a few towels and slung a robe over her arm.

The Czarina looked over at the eager queen. "You don't have to do that. My sister can help me."

"She's busy right now. I'll go run the water for you." she disappeared into the baths next door. Farah grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it then let out a loud muffled groan.

* * *

Arielle was off with Bayan practicing archery with their bows close to the training fields. Gabrielle and Xena stood off to the side and watched them from afar. Xena kept her eyes on the boy but Gabrielle's mind was elsewhere.

"Your brothers are so annoying." She speaks her mind.

Xena laughed lightly. "Don't have to tell me twice." She waved her hand at the children and shook her head. "All they've been doing is shooting arrows for the last two weeks. Don't they want to do something else?"

"You're right, Xena. They should be making out instead."

"That is not funny."

"I thought it was." she leaned back on her heels and grinned sneakily.

Arielle ran up to them with bow in hand. "Grandma," she begins breathlessly, "can Bayan come eat with us? I told him that it was alright if he could already. So, can he come?"

"Well," she eyed the boy who was gathering the arrows from the targets and in the grass. "I guess so…"

"Thanks! You're the best." She nudged her grandmother's arm. "Hey maybe after we finish eating we can go riding. I'd really like a horse of my own like Bayan. Do you think mother will let me have a horse next year?"

Gabrielle shared a knowing look with her wife. "Not in your wildest dreams."

The princess sighed. "I guess I'll just have to ask my father then. I know he'll get a horse for me. A black horse would be nice." She pressed the subject further and the women glared at her. She turned around and waved at her friend, "Bayan! They said you can come!" she darted across the field.

"She really knows how to work both of her parents." Grumbled the governor. "Navaz gives her whatever she wants. He's really got to stop doing that."

"Like Ellac is any better. He lets Cera and Arielle walk all over him."

* * *

Bayan barely scraped by with his age to be allowed into the women's area of the Adame. Twelve, but not quite thirteen, he was still allowed into the room. The men of the Adame were gone, off eating altogether, except for Csaba and Oran, who went off on an adventure of their own.

The nervous Kidarite prince sat next to Arielle and Ebnedzar's naughty boys. He smiled at the boys and stared at the queen across from him who barely touched her food. His eyes lingered over to the khatun who was also watching him intently. Everyone else seemed to be focused on their selves, including the governor and her wife, who were talking together, ignoring the children.

Arielle lifted her head from eating and frowned at her mother and the khatun. "Mom he is our guest. Stop staring at him."

"My apologies." Ana picked up the bread basket and reached across the spread of food. "Bread?" she offered him.

Bayan smiled and picked out a piece of flat bread and retracted his hand quickly. "Thank you." he ripped the bread in half and bowed his head. "The food is really good. Who made it?"

"Kreka did," Ana answered flatly. He eyed the khatun who gave a brief smile.

Soran leaned over and glared at the Kidarite prince. "So, Bayan," he began and Bayan turned with his mouth half full of bread. "You've been hanging out with my sister."

He swallowed. "Yes. She's very nice."

"Don't pay attention to him. He's a little maggot," Arielle said.

Xena knocked the spoon out of her granddaughter's hand and it went flying across the rug and landed on Cera's plate. "Don't call your brother names."

"You call your brothers names all the time!"

Gabrielle stifled a laugh and nudged her wife. "See, I told you."

Farah crinkled her brows and blocked out the arguing around her. She gasped and felt a warm liquid in between her legs. She looked down at her soaked dress and everyone paused to stare at her. Anastasia leaned over and smiled widely.

"Yes!" Ana cheered and Farah looked at her with fearful eyes. She dropped her spoon on the plate and stood up and held her hands out to the frozen Czarina. Rabia also stood up, standing over her sister. "Come Farah, we'll take you to your room."

"But I…"

Cera leaned over to observe and couldn't see anything because her mother and Rabia were in the way. Talat and Tolan rose to their knees and peered through the women's legs.

"But I can't have the baby right now! Csaba isn't here!" she cried out and without notice, she was hoisted to her feet.

"Where is he?" asked Anastasia.

"He –he went hunting with Oran."

Arielle threw her hands in the air. "He's so stupid."

Xena groaned and threw down the cloth napkin. "Gabrielle and I will go look for him."

"Oh, great! Can Bayan and I come with you guys?" Arielle hinted.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

The princess folded her arms. "Grandma, you remember the rules. We are not supposed to be alone. So, I guess that means you have no choice but to take us with you."

Gabrielle stood up as did her wife. "Fine, you can come but you won't wander off anywhere!" reprimanded the commander and Arielle nodded excitedly. "Anastasia, are you sure you'll be alright with Farah?"

The queen put a hand to her chest. "Mother, I think I know what I'm doing. We'll be fine, right Farah?" she looked at her frightened daughter in law. "You have nothing to fear. We'll be here with you! Now, let's go." She pulled her along with one arm while Rabia held the other.

Xena grabbed her sword. "Alright Arielle, let's go find your brother." she rumbled and walked off.

Arielle and Bayan quickly got up and followed her and Gabrielle. "Grandma, can I steer your horse?"

"No."

"Gabrielle can I –"

"No."


	33. Chapter 33

**Impending war...as always ;)**

Chapter 33

Navaz threw the letter across the table that Anastasia sent nearly two weeks ago. He was pleased to receive a letter from her but when he read what had happened with Arielle, he wished he never opened it. As much as he trusted Anastasia to take care of his daughter and his son, he wanted to be there to make sure that Arielle didn't get into any trouble. It was difficult considering the two empires were so far apart and he had little say when it came to parenting their daughter.

With him being so far away and his inability to pop over to Pannonia, there was nothing he could really do. Now that Fairuza and Tuya were gone, even if Arielle did come to visit Balaam, he wouldn't have anybody to watch her while he was busy running his kingdom. He was glad that Xena and Gabrielle were training Arielle to become queen one day, but he thought he could at least have something to say about it.

He ran his hand over his face and heard boots approaching. He peeked in between his fingers and Zolten stood at the end of the table. "What is it?" he asks, almost not wanting to know. Rebuilding the empire again was enough stress on his mind and now he had to worry about his daughter gallivanting off with boys.

"Your majesty, there is a situation outside."

That is one thing he didn't want to hear. "And…what is this  _situation_?"

"The Sabir women are…causing a ruckus about their living arrangements. They don't like the yurts we have made for them. They demand them to be larger."

Navaz rolled his eyes. "I'm going to solve this." He got up and grabbed his cape. Zolten nodded and picked up the letter on the table.

The general smiled. "A letter from Queen Anastasia. How is the princess?"

"I do not pay you to ask about my personal life, Zolten. Let's please deal with the Sabir women and see if we can compromise with them."

* * *

He and the general walked out of the Adame and the Sabir women were arguing with the Hun soldiers in center field. He crossed his arms and one of the women was more vocal than the others. In fact, she was ordering the soldiers around: pointing at the yurts and the women behind her. The demands didn't sound too outlandish and Navaz was a fair king and man, but he could only promise so much.

"Hey, hey!" he yelled and the loud woman stopped bickering and yelling. He walked down the stairs and the women glared at him. "What is the problem?"

She waltzed over to the king with a flickering smile and scanned him from head to toe. "My women and I demand larger yurts. We'd also like a yurt for us to gather in alone. If we are to live here in your empire then I suggest we be treated with respect."

He scoffed. "Respect? Your insane queen destroyed my home. You have no queen and no princes. Your empire is gone and if you don't like living here then you can go back to Siberia."

"No need to be hasty, Hun king." She stepped closer and Zolten he almost stepped in between them until Navaz put an arm over his shoulder. "I have no issue living in Balaam but I want larger yurts for my women. That's all I ask."

He scratched his thick beard and looked into her dark brown eyes that were very alluring. The way she smiled was a little bit disconcerting but she was persuasive with her deep and thick accented voice. It was a change from Fariuza's subtle voice which sounded very kind and warm. This woman was not very warm, but she was nice to look at. Her high cheekbones accentuated her wide smile and long thin nose and long eyes. He was a bit curious to see the color of her hair beneath the veil, but he had to remain focused.

"I will tell my men to construct larger yurts for you and your women." He gave a curt nod.

"Excellent. You're very kind, Hun king." She turned around and smiled at all the women and the soldiers groaned and whined under their breaths. "Thank you. I'm sure we'll do well living together. Oh I mean, as two cultures merging of course." She walked off.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Safiya."

Zolten wagged his head. "Are all the Sabir women like her?" he mused and the king frowned. "They are all white as snow and have odd features. Not to mention they are incredibly outspoken and bossy."

"She's not so bad." Navaz smiled and slapped a hand on the general's shoulder. "Get the women their yurts."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set which was the perfect time to hunt but also this was a major disadvantage for the entourage looking for the missing prince. Arielle wrapped her arms around Bayan as they trotted through the forest. Gabrielle frowned and pinched the girl's arm.

"No touching." She told her and Arielle's cheeks reddened. For once, she agreed with Xena and realized the two were spending too much time together. This was worse than when Ellac and Ana were children. Gabrielle remembered Ana very well at the age of thirteen.

Anastasia was very outspoken but she wasn't sassy, not like Arielle. She was raised as a boy, yet her daughter was not raised the same way and they both were very similar. Ana liked hanging around Attila's boys and Arielle liked being around the Kidarite prince and Bulgur boy, Loric. Gabrielle often wondered what happened to that boy. She figured Navaz scared the living daylight out of the child so he wasn't ever going to show his face again.

Xena exhaled deeply through her nostrils and searched the dimly lit forest. The deeper they went, the darker it became. "We've been looking for him for an hour. This is ridiculous."

"I know where he is!" shouts Arielle. "He's at his favorite spot to hunt. It's near the pass towards Dalmatia."

"And how do you know that?"

The princess stuttered, "Uh, uh…he told me."

"Arielle, new rule. You're never leaving my side ever again and you need to stop hanging out with Bayan so much. You have to focus on your studies."

Gabrielle agreed. "Yes because Bayan will have to go home sometime and that means you'll be stuck with me learning Latin all day long."

Xena snickered and winked at her wife. The two slapped their palms together and rode ahead of the children to search for the prince. "Csaba!" they both yelled. Cursing was heard from behind a few trees and Oran emerged with Csaba, both holding hunting bows and scowls on their faces.

"That's just great! You scared off our deer!" Csaba hissed.

Bayan halted his horse and his eyes widened in fear at the prince who was glaring at him intensely. Arielle smiled and waved at her brother. "Hey stupid, your wife is having your baby without you."

"What?!" he panicked and ran back to their site to grab the rest of his gear. He threw his bag over his shoulder and ran over to his grandmother. "Has she been in labor for a long time?"

"Only an hour."

Csaba stood frozen and Oran wrapped an arm around him. "Way to go, cousin!" he cheered. "You're going to be a father!"

Gabrielle laughed at his doe eyes. "Csaba, aren't you coming?"

"Wow, not even your father acted like this when you were born." Said the commander. "Csaba come on, get on the horse and let's go." She waited for the gaping prince to hop on her horse but his boots were planted in the soil, refusing to budge. "Csaba, your wife is having your child! Get on the horse!"

He ran over and climbed onto her horse. Oran laughed and climbed aboard onto Gabrielle's horse. "I told you, ya should have smoked with me before we went hunting."

Arielle cocked her head. "Smoked what?"

Gabrielle pinched her nose. "Nothing." She steered the horse and rode out of the forest.

* * *

Farah breathed heavily and held onto her sister's hand. She tried to focus on breathing calmly just like Marsa said but that went completely out the window and instead used her sister's hand as a coping mechanism. Anastasia smiled while sitting on the edge of the bed and wiped the girl's sweaty forehead.

"You're doing great, Farah. You're almost done." She counted in her head and Farah exhaled deeply and reared her head on the pillows. "You did wonderful, Farah. You have another ten minutes to rest."

Farah gasped. "Another one?"

"Yes, unfortunately." Ana said with a big smile and wiped the Czarina's forehead again.

"How long is this going to take? I'm exhausted."

Kreka snickered and folded a sheet on the bed. "You want to tell her or should I?" she prompted Anastasia.

"Well," she hated to tell her daughter in the law the bad news, "We've been doing this for two hours now so you should deliver the baby within six to eight hours."

"What? Oh my god!" she sobbed softly. "Where is Csaba? I want him to be here."

Rabia frowned. "He is not allowed in here."

"But I want him here!"

Intense knocking on the door alerted all of the women. Ana got off the bed and opened the door then her son rushed in. "Csaba, where the hell have you been?"

"Sorry mother I was hunting." He brushed by her and grinned at Farah. "How are you doing?" he asked his wife and she reached her hand out to him. He walked over to the side of the bed and held her hand. Her sister was giving him a very cold stare which he tried to ignore.

He turned to his mother with hopeful eyes. "Can I stay?"

Ana looked at her son and thought of the two times when she gave birth to her children and neither Ellac or Navaz were allowed in the room. It wasn't until Cera was born that she demanded Ellac be with her and it was a lot easier for her, despite her mother's wishes.

"Yes, you can stay but you need to change out of those clothes."

He hopped up. "Thank you!" he hugged her tightly, restricting her lungs.

"You're…welcome." She pat his back and smelled his tunic and nearly gagged. "Csaba, your clothes…"

* * *

Xena and Gabrielle walked up to Csaba's room and there were the children sitting on the floor waiting patiently. Arielle and Bayan stood behind them smiling widely at each other so the women couldn't see. Soran lifted his head and Ebnedzar's boys waved at them.

"What's this? Are you guys Farah's fan club?" Gabrielle joked.

"We're waiting for the baby. You want to join us, Gabby?" Soran asked with a beaming face.

As much as she wanted to sit and wait for hours, she'd have to pass. Not to mention, she'd somehow get roped into going in that room and usually she stayed for the births only if Xena was there but this time, she wanted to steer clear from Farah and that room.

"Thanks but I don't think so but you kids have fun." She nodded.

Arielle pushed through her grandmother and aunt. "You guys are gonna be waiting forever! She's not even screaming yet!" she put fear in the children's eyes, especially Soran's.

Xena wrapped a hand around her mouthy granddaughter. "Bayan, go back to your yurt. Arielle has to go to bed now."

The princess scoffed. "It's too early for bed!"

"No it's not unless you want to study more Latin?"

"I'm gone!" she backed away and smiled at Bayan. "We'll pick up tomorrow where we left off, right?" she asked and he nodded then received a glare from the commander and he smiled nervously then ran down the stairs. "Grandma why do you have to scare him off like that? We're just friends!"

"Yeah right. Go to bed, girl." She pushed her forward. Sighing deeply she was finally able to pay attention to her wife. "You want to go play a game?"

Gabrielle looked at the closed doors and it was awfully quiet inside there. "You don't want to stay?"

"This is Anastasia's moment. She doesn't need me. Besides, I'm sure she'll come get me when it's over. So, about that game…"

* * *

The two sat in their yurt and drank wine together. For once they were alone and didn't have to babysit Arielle like they had been for the last two weeks. She didn't mind watching the princess and teaching her, in fact she missed teaching a lot. Making Arielle study Latin reminded her of teaching the children back in Greece but that seemed like a lifetime ago and she couldn't even remember those children's faces. She wondered what those children grew up to be and wondered what would have happened if she stayed in Greece. She certainly wouldn't be living in Pannonia with a bunch of savages like she used to call them.

Tonight, she was exhausted from teaching Arielle, running around being a governor and searching for Csaba. Xena didn't seem very tired since she was so into the game they were playing. She watched her as the next block was placed on the tower of other wooden blocks. Xena squints one of her eyes and the tower swayed for a moment until she gently placed the block down.

"Your turn, Gabrielle." she smiled eagerly and sipped the wine.

The blonde kept gaping at the tower of blocks and her wife pushed the block next to her foot. She smiled and picked up the block and stared at the looming tower that begged to fall at any moment.

"Something wrong? You're not having fun?"

She shrugged. "I'm having a great time with you. I always have a great time with you."

"Alright…" Xena set down the wine glass. "It's your turn to put the block on the tower."

Gabrielle sneakily eyed the tower and accidentally poked the bottom of the tower with her boot and the wooden blocks tumbled down onto the ground. "Oops." She tossed the block behind her and snickered. "Sorry to spoil your fun."

"I get it. You don't want to play a game." She pushed the blocks aside and leaned her back against the bed. "What do you want to do then?"

"How about…" she crawled over to sit beside her brunette haired wife. "We just sit here and enjoy the silence." She lifted her glass and Xena nodded and they clinked their glasses together. "I love you."

Xena pursed her mouth and nudged her wife. "I love you too, Gabrielle. Is there something on your mind?"

"No, can't I just say that I love you?"

"Well, sure. I don't mind declarations of love from you." she teased. "It's always a treasure coming from you."

"Xena, quit it. I'm trying to be nice and you're ruining it."

"Sorry, sorry." She put up her hand. "Since you've put a stop to our game and we're enjoying the silence, I don't really know what to do now. You know we're not going to have many nights like this since Arielle is you know, on her path to become queen."

Gabrielle finished the last of her wine and licked her lips. That stress of teaching that child came back and a headache was soon to emerge. "Life was so much simpler when Anastasia was a kid."

"Oh you mean her coming into my room waking me up in the middle of the night with a screaming infant. Oh yeah, so much simpler."

"Hey," she slapped her wife's knee. "I meant before she had Csaba. She was a sweet girl. Arielle is the devil's child. Where does she get that attitude from?" she scoffed and shook her head then it donned on her and she slyly grinned at her wife. "Your brother said Arielle reminded him of  _you_. Don't tell me you were a pain like she was."

Xena frowned and tried to get off the floor and was yanked back down. "I was nothing like Arielle."

"Oh really. So that story with the boy in your room sounds a lot like Bayan and Arielle. You're a big fat hypocrite, Xena!"

"I am not."

"Oh yes you are."

"Can we go back to the silence?"

Gabrielle laughed. "No you're not getting off that easy! How old were you?"

"Gabrielle!"

" _How_  old were you?" she emphasized the phrase once more.

"I don't know." The commander muttered. "Fifteen I guess." She hid her face and then she was held in a bear hug. "Gabrielle, come on. Don't give me a hard time. That part of my life is over and I don't want to relive it."

"No, no. We're going to talk about how much of a hypocrite you are." She kissed her cheek. "So how many other suitors did you have in your bedroom as a teenager?"

Xena shoved her wife on the floor and pinned her arms up by her head. "Knock it off, Gabrielle. I'm warning you."

"Ooo, I'm real scared." She let out a giggle. "I'll just go ask your brothers then!" she tried to get up and Xena snarled and slammed her back on the floor.

"Xena!" Ernak called from outside the yurt. "You have some guests that want to speak to you…"

She groaned and stared down at her dubious wife. "You're safe. For now."

* * *

The moment she walked outside, Dengi and Ernak were guarding the yurt and she saw Theodoric and his Goth soldiers on horseback behind him. She raised an eyebrow and approached the Goth king. "What an unpleasant surprise. I don't normally get house calls."

His eyes averted to the Adame not too far from where they stood. "I am surprised you don't live in the Hun palace with your family."

"I like my privacy. What do you want Theodoric?"

He didn't want to overstay his welcome and it was a miracle that he was even allowed into the Hun's heartland. Only because Odoacer was now considered an ally of the Huns and the Visigoths were allies of Rome that he was allowed passage into Pannonia.

"It was brought to my attention that you sent a lot of coin to the Franks." He rubbed his fingers together and she felt Gabrielle brush her arm. "I'm sure you're aware, with your extensive knowledge of our history, that we are not friends with the Franks, and I know for a fact that Huns dislike the Franks. So, my question is; why would you give them money?"

"Is that really any of your concern? You rode all the way from your land to tell me that? You've wasted your time, Goth king." She folded her arms and he smiled then took a step closer to her. Dengi and Ernak blocked his path with their swords crossed in front of their commander.

He saw a glimmering smile on the governor's face and hadn't forgotten of the blonde that served the Huns. He smiled at Attila's sons and took a generous step backward. "The sons of Attila protect you, Xena. You've always been close to his children." He sighs and continues, "Back to the Franks. Since you've gifted them a large sum of coin we have a problem."

"And what problem might that be?" she inquired but did not hide her carelessness towards the man's concerns.

"While you've been sitting on your ass doing nothing in Pannonia, there is an upheaval in my homeland concerning the Franks. They threaten to invade us and since you've given them the necessary funds, they plan to put that into gathering weapons."

She pushed the swords out of her way and walked over to the blonde king and stood, face to face with him. "Why don't you ask your buddy Odoacer to help you? I hear he's got a great big army."

"He can only do so much and the Franks are of no concern to him. You and your people are funding an invasion by proxy."

"And why would I care if your land gets ransacked? We're not allies with you. In fact, we've  _never_  been allies with you so why don't you just ride back to your little land and never come back."

Theodoric frowned and hopped onto his horse. "I would have thought since half of your tribes are gone that you would have some sympathy for me, Xena. Hopefully we don't have to meet under these circumstances again." He waved his hand at his soldiers and they rode off to the border.

Xena's smile faded. "We should have never given that money to those Franks."

"What were we supposed to do?" Gabrielle asked. "They were holding Arielle and Bayan hostage."

"I'll tell you what we should have done. We should have killed all of them. Now I got Theodoric on my back. I can't believe that idiot is still alive and Attila is dead. We need to tell Ellac about this right away."

Dengi interrupted, "Ellac isn't in the Adame."

Gabrielle snapped her head around. "Where is he then?"

"He's with Ebnedzar in lower Pannonia."

"Lower Pannonia…" Xena repeated. "Those two have no business being in lower Pannonia. Where are they really, Dengi?"

He played innocent and she grabbed his collar. "Okay!" he still feared her as if he was reliving his childhood again. "They're in Dalmatia!"

Gabrielle crinkled her nose. "Dalmatia? There's nothing about Dalmatia in the orders I received from Ana."

"Oh yeah, about that." Ernak forced a smile. "This is a bit off the record."

"Off the record. What is that supposed to mean? You mean to tell me that Anastasia doesn't know about this?" she pressured the prince.

"Well, um…" he tapped the sword on his leg. "Nope."

"Ernak!" she slapped his shoulder and then slapped the back of his head. "I'm the governor and I'm supposed to know everything around here! You two lied and kept this a secret! What the hell are they doing in Dalmatia? That land belongs to Odoacer."

Dengi stepped in front of his little brother. "You see, Gabrielle, my brothers can be a bit ambitious. They're going to take Dalmatia away from Odoacer and claim it under our empire."

Xena was rendered speechless and Gabrielle lashed out. "What?! How could they do that without telling anybody! Oh my god. Are they insane? Did they take the army with them? What are they thinking? Are they out of their minds? Xena, what do you have to say about this? You're the commander. You should be there."

"Let them take Dalmatia. Why do I care? Ellac's a king. He can do what he wants, right?" she walked off and Gabrielle huffed.

"Xena, wait up. Ellac defied us, especially me. I should have known about this. He is going to start a war with Odoacer."

The commander turned around and breathed deeply. "Then let him start a war! I'm tired of Odoacer and if this will send him over the edge then why do I care?"

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm dead serious, Gabrielle. Attila said that the Roman Empire will fall one day. Odoacer is the ticket. He's going to be the one to end the empire for good. You've worked for him, Gabrielle. He's a horrible person. I never in my life thought he would become emperor. He's a Hun, Gabrielle. He's a traitor."

Gabrielle knew that all to be true but she sensed her wife may be going to down another path that she didn't wish to see. Now that she was the governor she had to make sure this empire ran smoothly and so far, it wasn't now that Ellac and Ebnedzar were out rioting in Dalmatia by themselves.

"So, that's it? We're going to war with Rome again? I don't know if I can take that again, Xena. What if you get hurt again?"

"I'm not going to get hurt because we're not the ones going to war with Rome. The Goths will take care of that for us. Kill two birds with one stone." She wiggled her two fingers.

"I'm not following."

* * *

Csaba sat behind Farah with his legs straddled by her sides. He held onto her hands. He felt like his hands were going to fall off but the adrenaline rushing through his body made him forget about everything. He couldn't say the same thing for his wife. He should have been exhausted and ready to pass out after being by her side for hours.

He looked out the window and saw the sun about to come up. His smile widened and he looked at his mother who was beyond tired and hadn't taken a break all night long. He let go of Farah's hand and ran his fingers through her sweat drenched hair and kissed her temple.

"You're doing so good, Farah." He tried to sound encouraging and she scrunched up her face and moaned loudly.

Anastasia threw out a blanket covered in blood and her son's face paled. She gave him a reassuring smile and grabbed a new blanket and set it beneath Farah's feet. "Alright, Farah, are you ready?"

The Czarina nodded tiredly and Rabia came to her side and held one of her hands. Csaba crawled out from behind his wife, still holding onto her hand. He peered over her dress and his eyes widened. He didn't know whether to be amazed or disgusted at the same time. He knew that men were not normally allowed in the room when women gave birth but he was glad he was able to stay.

"One more time Farah and I promise it'll be the last time I say that," Anastasia said.

Csaba waited anxiously and looked at his wife's face, tears streaming down her cheeks. Within a few moments, a loud cry entered the room and Ana's smile widened and held the small baby in her hands. Farah exhaled deeply and leaned back onto her sister.

Anastasia took the baby to the table behind her and Marsa came over to throw away the soiled sheets. Csaba kissed his wife's hand and ran over to his mother's side. He leaned over her shoulder and watched as she cleaned the child's body and face off with a damp cloth.

"Wow." He turned around and Rabia was wiping her sister's forehead off. "It's a boy, Farah!" he cheered and she smiled weakly.

"He has a lot of hair," Ana remarked and her son was fascinated, not able to keep his eyes off his new son. She wrapped the baby up in a blanket and held him in her arms. She tried to pass her grandchild off to her son. "Aren't you going to take him to your wife?"

He nodded and she gently passed the baby off into his arms. He smiled and walked over to the bed and sat down. Farah sat up slowly and leaned against the pillows. "Let me see him." She held out her arms and he gently placed their son in her arms. "Csaba, he's perfect." She grazed his cheek with her finger. "He's got so much hair."

* * *

Anastasia smiled at the two and then she left the room and closed the door behind her. She exhaled heavily and looked at her mother leaning on the opposite wall. "Don't tell me you waited out here all night?"

Xena smirked. "No, I just got here. Kreka took the children to their rooms. They stayed out here all night."

She nodded. "It's a boy."

"Just like you." she nudged her daughter's chin with a soft knuckle. "You look exhausted, Ana. I can sit in with Farah and Csaba. You should go sleep."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Go on. You've done more than enough." She grabbed her hand and walked her down the hallway.

Ana yawned. "Where's Ellac? I haven't seen him since yesterday morning. I wanted him to be here."

Xena smiled nervously and opened the doors to her daughter's room. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere. Just go rest and I'll take care of everything for you."

Anastasia paused and turned around, emitting a weak smile. "Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you."

* * *

Theodora burst into her husband's throne room and Justinian smiled at his furious wife. He dismissed the scribe and everyone else cleared out of the room. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.

"Those people surrounding the Hagia Sophia are gone." She reported. "They were Thracians. They're going north. Can't imagine why they'd want to go up there again after their land has been desecrated by Boareks."

"The Sabir Queen is dead. The Huns will just invite the Thracians into their home. After all, Xena is one of them. They are her people and Anastasia is half Thracian so she must have sympathy for them." He sighed and in walked General Mundus. "Ah, yes, I've been waiting. Theodora I have business to attend to. I will speak with you later."

The empress turned and glared at the general. "I can stay here if I want to. This is my empire too."

"This is private. Out." He pointed to the doors. She turned on her heel and marched out but not before shoving the general.

Mundus sighed and rubbed his shoulder then bowed at the emperor. "Sir, your wife is not in good spirits."

He waved his hand, dismissing her entirely. "Never mind about her. Were you able to locate the Shahs?"

"Yes, I did sir." He begins with a bit of a solemn tone. "They're living in the south of China."

"Well, did you tell them that I wish to speak with them? Where are they? Didn't they come with you?"

"No, your highness." Mundus regrettably informed him. "They don't want anything to do with you or the Byzantine Empire. They are busy building a new army to invade Kazakhstan. Peroz did inform me that the Ashina are still alive. They go by a different name now –the Kidarites."

Justinian tapped his fingers on his knee. "Kidarites? Where do they live?"

"In old Persia. They have enough people to form a tribe and live under Ellac's empire."

"I thought I got rid of all the Ashina Huns!" he growled. "Find the Kidarite tribe and report back to me. Once I know how many of them there are, I want the tribe obliterated."

* * *

Farah leaned over her son with a big smile and slipped his tiny arms through the sleeves. She buttoned up his black and gold outfit up to his neck and smoothed out the sleeves. She grabbed his little legs and kissed the bottom of his covered feet.

"Don't you look handsome in your little outfit that grandma Ana made for you?" she picked him up in her arms and stared into his green blue eyes.

Csaba walked into the room and hung his coat up on the rack. "How are you feeling today?" he asked, hoping that she'd be in a better mood not even a week after their son's birth. "Did you get enough sleep?"

"Yes, I did." She showcased their son. "He's wearing the outfit your mother made. Doesn't he look handsome?"

"Very handsome," he ran his palm over his son's head full of hair.

Farah frowned and smoothed out their son's hair. "You're messing up his hair. I just combed it."

"What?" he laughed. "You  _combed_  his hair? Farah, he's not even a week old!"

"I want him to look very nice. My sister is making him some clothes for the party."

He turned around just as he was about to pour himself a glass of water. " _Party_?"

She nodded excitedly. "Yes, we always have parties for babies in Banat. I promise there will be no dancing girls this time. Your mother was not very fond of them I remember."

"Another party –a party for a baby? Is that all you people know how to do? Party?"

"You people? What is that supposed to mean, Csaba?"

Arielle walked into the room with her grandmother and Gabrielle. The two stopped arguing and smiled briefly at their guests. She walked up to her brother and peered at her nephew. "He's way bigger than Cera was. No wonder you were huge," she said with nonchalance and Farah frowned.

"Arielle, don't start," warned Xena.

"Did you pick a name yet?"

"His name is Edemen." Csaba pinched his sister's cheek and ruffled her curly locks. She mocked him from below and held out her arms.

"Can I hold him?" she wiggled her fingers. Farah nervously stared at the princess and was afraid to let her hold her infant son. The only people she let hold him were Anastasia, Rabia and Xena. Even then she was hesitant. "Please, I'll be real careful."

Csaba nodded and Arielle hopped onto the bed and stretched out her arms. Farah sighed and gently settled her son into the princess' arms. "Make sure to hold his head," she said and Arielle raised her eyebrow.

"I been around babies before, Farah." She sassily responds. She looked into her nephew's big eyes and smiled. "He's so adorable. He looks just like you Farah. Sorry, brother." She lifted her eyes at Farah and her jaw dropped. "Wow, your breasts are massive!"

Xena rolled her eyes and Gabrielle slapped a palm to her forehead. "Time to go."

Csaba took his son from his sister's arms and Arielle waltzed over to her teachers. Farah looked down at herself and desperately wanted to put the girl in her place, but remembered she was just a kid, a really, really annoying kid.

"Come on Arielle, we're going on a field trip today." Xena grabbed her granddaughter by her neck and spun her around and hurried out of the room.

"One of these days I'm going to pop your sister in the mouth." Farah threatened.

"I won't hold you back." He joked and smoothed out his son's hair. "So, about this party."

* * *

Gabrielle put on her gloves while Xena put on a coat on Arielle. She was not looking forward to this little 'field trip', especially since it involved Ebnedzar and Ellac. It was bad enough that she had to tell Anastasia about the invasion in Dalmatia. She feared Xena's wrath but Anastasia's wrath was almost at the same level as her dear mother's. It was more than a blessing that Ana had her new grandson to keep herself occupied throughout this awkward situation.

Although, it was Xena's idea to go to Dalmatia and see just what the sons of Attila were up to. She adjusted the saddlebag and couldn't wait to get this over with, but unfortunately, they were taking Arielle with them and boy could that girl talk.

"Okay Arielle, lesson one," Xena buttoned up the coat and the princess could barely breathe. "We get you a new coat because you're growing out of this one." She jested.

"Grandma, where are we going? You said this was a field trip."

"It is. We're going to Dalmatia to observe how a war is started. This is going to be your first lesson in politics. I want you to pay special attention to Gabrielle." she picked up the girl set her on the horse. "And you keep that big mouth of yours shut." She poked Arielle's chest. "That little outburst at Farah was uncalled for."

The princess chuckled. "But did you see them!" She pointed to her small breasts not visible beneath her thick coat.

"When you have children one day you won't be making jokes like that." She mounted her horse and hooked her boots in the stirrups.

"Pft yeah right! I'm never having kids! Let's get this field trip started!" Arielle jumped up and down on the saddle and Xena slapped her thigh. "Ow!"

"Lesson two: no talking during the mission."

"Thank god." Gabrielle muttered and mounted her own horse and trotted forward, leaving her wife behind.

Arielle tapped her grandmother's shoulder. "Can I ask a question?" she whispered and Xena groaned. "How long does it take to get to Dalmatia?"

* * *

Ebnedzar whacked a Roman on the spine with the dull end of the sword. He walked along the line of Romans who were tied up by their wrists. As soon as he and Ellac arrived, they found Romans sequestering Dalmatians and their homes. The wealthiest lost more than the poor which was unusual for the Romans. They were beaten to death and hung with nooses in front of the entire village to see.

The bodies found dead within the village were burned respectfully and then Ellac ordered his men to round up every single living Roman and tie them up. So far, ten Romans have died from revolting. The remaining fifty Romans were left with no food or water.

Ellac walked up to a young Roman and lifted his chin with the tip of his sword. "How do you like it, Roman? You don't like being treated like this do you?"

"You have…no right to be here, Hun king. This is the emperor's land that he won fair and square. You authorized –"

"I authorized nothing!" he kicked the Roman over onto his back. "Your emperor has never been my ally. I only allowed him so close to my empire because he was too scared to fight Justinian. Now that the Sabir queen and her rats are dead, I don't have to worry about Odoacer any longer."

"We'll see…about that," the Roman croaked.

Ellac cried out and plunged his sword into the man's chest. The other tied up men averted their eyes and kept their heads down. Ebnedzar smiled and clapped at his brother's rage. While congratulating themselves on their winnings, Ebnedzar looked up at the hill and there was the governor, commander and princess glaring at them.

"Ellac," he ran over and grabbed his shoulder. "Your mother in law is here."

"My what?" the king turned and his mouth parted. "Ah fuck." He pulled the sword out of the Roman corpse and ran up the hill.

Gabrielle leaned in towards Arielle. "Observe how frantic they both are," she whispered jokingly about the two brothers.

"Yeah. Men are stupid."

Xena tried to keep herself from busting out into a laughing fit and bit her bottom lip. "This is where you start paying attention. Watch how Gabrielle talks to both of them, alright?" and Arielle gave her a thumbs up in silence.

Ellac forces a laugh. "Gabrielle, Xena…what are you doing here?" he eyed his stepdaughter sitting behind the commander. "And why is Arielle here?"

Gabrielle spoke for everyone, "We're teaching her to be queen, remember? This is her first mission." She adjusted her gauntlets. "Do you want to tell us what's going on? Why you've been absent from Pannonia for almost a week? Hm? Are those Romans down there tied up?"

"Why yes. Yes they are. I have a great explanation for that." He raised a finger.

"I'd love to hear it. I'd love to hear how you kept this little "mission" of yours a secret from me and your wife. Xena had to pry it out of your little brothers. It wasn't very hard." She shrugged.

"Listen Gabrielle, I wanted to do this because Odoacer is torturing and killing these people. They don't deserve this and this area is close to Pannonia so it should belong to me."

Arielle intervened, "but you didn't tell mom about it."

He said through clenched teeth, " _thank_   _you_ …Arielle…"

Gabrielle licked her to lip. "If you are going to go off on these little raids of yours you need to tell me. You didn't give me this position to stand around and look incompetent."

"I'm sorry. You're right. I should have told you and Ana. I shouldn't have gone off and did this but now that I did…Dalmatia is mine now and Odoacer doesn't even know it."

She turned to Xena who kept her mouth shut throughout this. "Arielle, what do you think will happen next?"

The princess puckered her lips and her stepfather smiled at her cheekily. "I think mother is going to kick your butt." She told Ellac.

"Wrong answer." Although it wasn't too far from the truth. "We've got bigger problems back home concerning the Visigoths."

"What's going on now?"

"That money that we gave to the Franks to release Arielle and Bayan has come to bite us. The Franks are going to invade the Visigoths and we're now being accused of funding the invasion. Theodoric came to visit us days ago."

He sighed and looked at his brother who was worried out the outcome from all of this. "And Theodoric is Odoacer's ally and now I've taken over his territory."

"Bingo!" Xena cheered. "Stop acting impulsive like your father. That is the very reason why we got into a lot of wars."

"But my father conquered all of the tribes that we don't have any longer. Now we have the Sabirs, Kidarites and Szekelys on our side. Soon we'll have the Thracians. We're creating a new empire –a better one. We're more diverse now and what better way to diversify ourselves than to conquer Dalmatia."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Ellac. I don't want to start a war and be at the end of the stick again." She used that term figuratively as she was reminded of being crucified by Zeno.

"Yeah and you missed the baby being born," Arielle said.

Ellac's jaw dropped. "Oh really?" he smiled. "What is it? A boy or girl?"

"A boy! His name is Edemen. He's real cute and he looks just like Farah. He's got a lot of hair too!"

"Well I can't wait to meet him. I'll just finish up here with these Romans and I'll come back home."

Xena raised a brow suspiciously. "And what do you plan to do with them?"

"Xena, not in front of Arielle."

"I'm a big girl. I'm going to be queen soon. What are you gonna do with them?" asked Arielle.

"I'm…going to dispose of them." He put it lightly. "Ebnedzar, prepare the…you know," he muttered. His brother nodded and ran down the hill and whistled at the Hun soldiers.

Xena steered her horse to turn back. "We're going back home."

"We're finished with the mission, grandma?"

"Yes, we're finished."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34 – _The Goth and Roman Betrayal_

Three Months Later

Kandik and Bolgaris huddled together outside their yurt in their territory. They left Pannonia a month ago and felt like they overstayed their welcome considering that their littlest brother was often around princess Arielle and Csaba kept glaring at all three of them as if they had the head of a hydra. Kandik picked at his teeth with the dull short knife and Bolgaris slapped his arm.

"Romans," he says lowly and slipped into the yurt to grab a weapon.

Several Byzantine soldiers scouted the rim of the Kidarite tribe just like Justinian told them to. General Mundus didn't bother to send a report back to the emperor and went ahead and followed his own orders. He brought a group of soldiers with him, large enough to finish off the Kidarites. He planned to invade quietly but loud drums sounded within the outer rim of the tribe, alerting their presence.

Bayan walked out of the yurt and stared at the Byzantine soldiers. "Who are they, brother?" he asked Kandik.

He held his brother close to him and Bolgaris hopped on his horse and whistled at the surrounding Huns to follow him to attack the intruders. "Bayan, you remember the way back to Pannonia don't you?" he asks and the little brother nodded. "I want you to ride to Pannonia and tell them the Byzantines are here."

"What about you? I don't want to leave you!"

"I'll be fine. Just go." He pushed his brother and Bayan frowned deeply. "I said go! Get lost!"

Bayan ran to his horse tied up to a tree and glanced ahead at his other older brother slicing through the Byzantines. They weren't able to get beyond the borders into the tribe. He didn't want to leave his brothers by themselves since they were his only family now but if he didn't go then he'd be in more trouble. He kept thinking about telling the king about this invasion. He mounted the horse and roped the bow around his shoulder.

* * *

General Basilius walked in on Odoacer with a spread of women around him. He averted his gaze and turned around immediately more out of respect of the naked women than his ruler. "Sir, there is a Goth king here to see you."

Odoacer wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and one of the women slid off his body. He wrapped a blanket around his lower half and walked over to his right hand. "Tell Theodoric that I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment. I know he'll understand. If he's come to talk about the Franks tell him that I don't want any part of it."

"Um sir…" Basilius refused to turn around but felt the emperor's eyes boring into the back of his head. "Theodoric was not the king I was speaking of."

The emperor frowned and rubbed his chin. "What other Goth king is there? Has there been a secret revolution that I don't know about?" he lightly joked with a snort.

"The Ostrogoth king by the name of Alaric is here. He wishes to speak with you right away."

Odoacer nodded. "Alright send the man in."

Basilius looked over his shoulder suspiciously at him. "With all due respect, you are not decent at the moment, emperor."

"I said send him in."

He leisurely walked over and sipped some left over wine from the night before. Smiling at the women they lounged on the floor and on the bed behind the chair which he sat in earlier. Moments later King Alaric walked in the room alone. The emperor turned around and the women covered themselves with a couple of sheets laden on the bed but it did little to hide their naked flesh. Alaric raised his eyebrow at the barely dressed Roman emperor and smoothed out his long blonde hair that bore a similar resemblance to his counterpart, Theodoric.

Odoacer tucked the sheet around his waist and smiled at the Goth king. "I must not be doing my job correctly. I have never heard of you before. Did you suddenly rise to power without my knowledge?"

Alaric tried to hide his distaste for the man with a smug smile. "One must know all of the Goths if we are your ally, emperor. I am king of the Ostrogoths. We are a branch a part from the Visigoths and share land together."

"Ah, Theodoric never spoke of you before."

"I imagine not." He rubbed his blonde scruffy beard. "I know that you are friends with Theodoric but I wanted to meet with you because I want you to attack his land."

Odoacer nearly spat out his wine and stared at the serious Goth king. "Why would I do that?"

"Because he is greedy. He is taxing my side of the territory endlessly and now that the Franks are set on invading us, I cannot prepare my army to fight if he keeps taxing us."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

"A personal problem for  _you_ , emperor." Alaric took a few steps forward, towering over the false Roman. "You are a Hun yet you hide as a Roman. I understand that you have a mutual agreement with the Huns. I don't like Huns and I have some valuable information for you."

Odoacer frowned. "Go on."

"Not until you agree that you will fund the attack on Theodoric's territory. I want him gotten rid of."

"What's in it for me? Why should I attack your counterpart? I don't care about Goth civil wars."

"I will pay you personally to have him assassinated. Twenty thousand ducats, what do you say?"

The offer was enticing enough and the treasury within Rome had been dwindling for awhile now especially since he lent his army to Xena and her crew to get rid of the invading Sabirs. "Alright, twenty thousand it is." He held out his hand and Alaric grabbed it firmly, making him very anxious. "What is this information about the Huns you have for me?"

Alaric chuckled maliciously. "Dalmatia has been claimed by Ellac. He ordered a riot and slaughtered over fifty of your men. He staked his flag in the ground and the land now belongs to the Hun Empire."

Odoacer's frown deepened and he threw the wine glass at the fireplace, alarming the women in the room. "How much will it take for you to go into Pannonia and have a little chat with King Ellac?"

"I won't go into Hun territory, emperor. I have never step foot in that area nor do I plan to. Theodoric can do as pleases and continue to have small battles and discussions with them but I am not worried about the Huns attacking me. I am focused on the Franks and I couldn't give a shit about Dalmatia."

"Then I will just have to write Justinian and ask for his aid."

There was no way he was ready to ask for help from his counterpart considering he had been at odds with the man for years. Justinian controlled so much land already in such a short amount of time and he planned to take over Rome soon. He was going to have to gear himself up for the humiliation of asking the Byzantine Emperor for help which he wasn't sure if he'd get anything from that man.

* * *

Xena circled around her wife with a sneaky look on her face which did nothing but unsettle Gabrielle. She grabbed her wife's wrists and their foreheads met, staring into each other's eyes intensely. She winked and then twisted the governor's arm behind her back and then kneed her in the calf.

Gabrielle groaned and fell to her knees then her wife pushed her onto the snowy ground and lifted her leg high into the air and placed a boot on her arm, forcing her into a very uncomfortable position. Her cheek buried into the dirty snow and she grumbled.

"Xena…you're enjoying this too much!"

"I'm just getting started!" she pushed her wife's short stout leg further into the air and wrapped an arm around her neck and lifted her head out of the snow. "Are you in pain yet, Gabrielle?"

"Yes! Yes!" she pleaded.

The commander shook her head. "You've gone soft, Gabrielle. Your sparring sessions are horrendous. Me and you should have these workouts daily instead of monthly. What do you say?"

"I say…" she croaked and tried to swallow, "we're getting too old for this!"

"Old?" Xena put pressure onto her wife's neck. "We're not old, Gabrielle. You must stop saying that word or you're going to be stuck in this position for a long time."

Csaba walked up to his grandmother holding his aunt in a headlock and a leg high in the air. He cocked his head, staring at the contorted governor. "Um, excuse me." He clears his throat and Xena lifted her head. He waved a scroll in his hand. "I have orders from my mother. She told me to give them to Gabrielle."

"Oh great," she answered. "Xena, let go of me!"

"Right." She pushed her onto the ground and got up, brushing the snowy soil off her black sleeves. Gabrielle grimaced and slowly rose to her feet and snatched the orders from Csaba.

He smiled. "I hate to interrupt."

Xena wrapped an arm around him and grabbed the bun on his head. "Don't worry, we'll continue this session later." she said with promise and he nodded and tried to pry himself out of her hold. "Has your mother decided to forgive your father yet?"

He let out a heavy sigh. "I don't want to talk about it. She doesn't allow him in her room anymore and I don't want to think about what they do in there anyway."

"Fair enough. Neither do I." she joked. "How is Farah doing? Is she adjusting okay?"

"Yeah," he says unconvincingly. "She's a great mother to Edemen. I wish I could do more."

"Being there for her is enough."

"Grandma." He took her arm off his shoulder. "Can you talk to mother for me please?"

She folded her arms. "Why?"

"It's not like I don't appreciate her help. In fact, she's been a great help to me and Farah but…she's driving Farah crazy! She's always there. Every time Edemen cries, she's there, when he's up at night, she's there, when Farah is feeding him, she's there!" he breathed heavily to the point of almost hyperventilating.

"And –and Farah really wants to move to Banat already! I know I promised mother we'd stay until Edemen's first birthday but Farah is threatening to leave. Grandma, please do something." He grabbed her fur collar and she blinked rapidly.

"Csaba…" she gripped his shoulder. "Breathe."

He exhaled deeply through his nose and she nodded slowly.

"Your mother just wants to help. I know she might be a little bit annoying right now but just let her help, Csaba. Edemen isn't going to stay in Pannonia forever and he is her grandson. She loves him very much but…if you want me to talk to her, I will."

"Please!" he begged and she pinched his cheek. "Thank you so much."

Gabrielle walked out of the yurt and waved her hand at her wife. Xena excused herself and kissed her grandson's forehead and he wandered off back to the dreaded household. She sighed and read over the orders.

"Anastasia wants us to secure the borders because she's afraid Romans are going to invade due to Ellac's interference in Dalmatia."

"Finally, some action. When does she want us to man the borders?"

Gabrielle put up her hand. "There's more. She wants Arielle to spend her birthday in Balaam this time."

Xena titled her head. "How are we supposed to secure the borders and take Arielle to Balaam at the same time? That girl has really lost it. She's too wrapped up with her new grandchild that she can't even think straight. Csaba is right. I need to go talk to her."

"About what?"

"Never mind. I'll handle it."

Pirro and Ditron walked up to them with Arielle and two other girls. Gabrielle smiled at the little girls and her wife turned around. Pirro put his hands on the princess' shoulders. "We had a great sparring lesson today."

"Oh yeah? So did we," Xena smugly smiled at the blonde to which she received a glare. "Who are these little girls?"

Arielle introduced them. "This is Rose and Marina. They know how to use swords and they're really good at it too, but to be honest, I think I'm a little better than them."

Gabrielle knelt down in front of the two girls, Rose with brown hair and Marina with blonde hair. For once she was excited to have another blonde at her side. Having the Thracians here wasn't such a bad idea after all even though the place was more crowded.

"It's so nice to see that Arielle made some friends. I'm sure you girls will love living here in Pannonia."

The brunette, Rose, spoke, "it's better than living with the Atlyn Huns. There's more room here. The princess is going to show us her room."

"Hey, I told you to call me Arielle!"

"Okay… _Arielle_  is going to show us her room."

Gabrielle grinned from ear to ear. "Well you girls have fun." She stood up and the two Thracian girls walked off with Xena's brothers while Arielle stayed behind with a forlorn look on her face. "What's the matter? Those girls seem really nice."

"Yeah, they are. I miss Bayan. Is he going to come back soon?"

Xena rolled her eyes. "He will come back when his brothers want him to. You have new friends now and thankfully those friends aren't boys."

"But I like him."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you do but I think it would be better if you hung around those girls for awhile."

Gabrielle agreed. "They're your age too. Hey, you're going to spend your birthday with your father this year."

"Really? Are you two coming with me?"

The two looked at each other. "Um, actually we have to stay here and do something for your mother."

Arielle gasped loudly. "Why don't Pirro and Ditron take me? I like hanging out with them and they're really funny."

"No way!" Xena objected. "I am not letting my irresponsible brothers take my granddaughter all the way to Balaam!"

"Xena, come on. We're going to be busy and they've been great with her. It'll only be for a few weeks."

"Absolutely not."

Arielle grabbed her coat and begged, "Please grandma, please?"

"God dammit."

* * *

Anastasia walked down the hallway upstairs and her husband was coming her way. She groaned and turned back around to go back to her room. "Ana, wait!" he yelled and ran towards her and slammed his hand on the door before she could hide. "Please talk to me. It's been three months, Anastasia."

She ignored him and knew she couldn't go back to her room so she continued down the hall towards her son's room. He followed behind her, yelling loudly. "Ana, come on! This has got to stop! I apologized already! I'm sorry! What is it going to take for you to forgive me?"

"You lied to me!" she spun around and he paused in step.

"I know, I'm really sorry. I want you to stop being angry with me. I went behind your back and I'm so, so sorry."

"Your apologies aren't going to cut it. I am going to see Farah and our grandson. You haven't seen him at all."

He scoffed. "Yes I did! I saw him yesterday but you don't want to be in the same room as me so why bother? You're always around him anyway. You're acting just like your mother when Csaba was a baby. She was crowding you until he was a year old."

"Hey, if you're going to insult me, at least do it to my face." Xena walked up the stairs and Ellac's cheeks reddened. "Ellac, I need to have a few words with your wife if you don't mind."

"She's all yours." He brushed by her and marched down the stairs.

Anastasia scowled and crossed her arms, glaring at the floor. Xena smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "If you're here to scold me about not speaking to Ellac, I don't want to hear it."

"I'm not here to talk about Ellac, although you should really forgive the man. He's been begging at your feet. How pathetic is that, right?" she lightly joked which her daughter did not find funny. "Csaba came and told me that you are spending a lot of time with Farah and Edemen."

Ana lifted her eyes. "And?"

"He thinks…you're spending  _too_  much time with them," she tried to let her daughter down easy. "I know you love Edemen very much. I love Csaba too and Cera."

"You forgot Arielle."

Xena frowned. "Right and her too," she muttered. Sometimes she really wanted to wring that girl's neck especially since she had no filter on that mouth of hers. "Anyway, I think you should let them be alone with their son for awhile. Farah is doing a great job by herself. I've never seen that girl so selfless before."

Ana sighed. "But they will only be here for another nine months and then they go live in Banat forever."

"Yes that's true but you can go visit them anytime you want. But for now, just let them have some space. They'll only be a day's ride away, Ana. It's not like they're going to live on the other side of the world."

"Alright, alright. I'll give them some space." She says disappointedly. "But have you seen him? He's so adorable and he has the biggest smile."

"Yes, he's very adorable." Xena forced herself to say even if it was the truth. "Now, we have another issue. You want Arielle to spend time with Navaz for her birthday but you want me and Gabrielle to secure the borders. Does it look like I can be in two places at once?"

Anastasia slapped her forehead. "My god, I'm sorry mother. I completely forgot!"

"Yeah and Arielle had this crazy idea. She wants my brothers to escort her to Balaam." She laughed.

Her daughter's eyes widened and she nodded.

"Ana…no."

"What a great idea!"

"Anastasia! No!"

"Why not? They're great with her. I trust them with her instead of Ellac's brothers anyway. This is wonderful. Now you and Gabrielle can secure the borders while your brothers take Arielle to Balaam. Thanks for clearing that up." She hugged her frustrated mother and then descended down the stairs.

Xena groaned and stared at the wall. "Happy to help…"

* * *

Every day for the last week, the governor and her wife sat on their horses, watching the borders of Pannonia. Arielle had gone to Balaam and convinced her mother to let Rose and Marina come with her. Pirro and Ditron couldn't wait to rub the fact that they were Arielle's escorts for the trip to their sister, but they chickened out when she threatened to punch them in the face.

Gabrielle shivered and wrapped the fox fur around her the lower half of her face. "It's really…cold."

Xena narrowed her eyes at the dark field ahead filled with nothingness. "If you're cold why don't you go sit by the fire?"

"I did, ten minutes ago. I'm still cold and there's nothing out here. Can we change shifts with Ernak and Dengi now?"

"Gabrielle we just started our shift two hours ago. We have to stay here until dawn. What's your problem?"

"Nothing," she grunted. "This is the coldest winter we've had in years!" she continued to complain.

Xena put up her hand and heard galloping in the distance. The freezing cold no longer seemed to bother Gabrielle and she clicked her mind into war mode and trotted closer to the border. Soldiers beside them prepared their weapons and waited for the horseman to come closer out of the darkness.

Xena pulled out her sword, itching to slice through someone and then her excitement died down when Bayan emerged from the darkness. "It's the Kidarite prince!" she shouted at the armed soldiers.

Bayan entered the encampment and almost fell off his horse. Gabrielle jumped off her horse and grabbed his limp body. He was cold, his clothes torn and hair mangled. "Bayan…what are you doing here?" she cupped his flushed dirty cheeks.

"The…the Byzantines…they're coming here!"

The commander grinned. " _Alright_!" she pulled out her second sword and waved one of them in the air. "Spread out in the field!" she shouted. Soldier Badr came trotting towards her.

"Commander, how many men should we be looking for?" he asked.

She turned around to Bayan and the boy was too exhausted to answer. "Just be prepared for anything." She said and he trotted out with the rest of her elite men. "Hey," she grabbed a recruit running by. "Take the prince to the Adame. Gabrielle, you're coming with me."

As soon as they rode into the dark field, the Byzantines showed up just like Bayan said. Xena had her eye on General Mundus and gave him a big smile. Gabrielle split off with Badr with oncoming soldiers. The man was covered in blood and she had no doubt that the blood belonged to the Kidarites given how fast Bayan was riding into Pannonia.

She rode through the field and dipped down below and slashed the general's horse's front legs and the animal screeched in agony then fell on its knees and collapsed. Mundus fell off the horse and she steered around to come back around to slaughter him.

He got off the ground and clashed swords with her. She jumped off and pushed him backward with her blades crossed. "Whatever will you do when I send your body back to Justinian in pieces?"

"Zeno should have finished you off."

"He tried and failed. So many have failed before him and look I'm still here. What a shocker." She pushed him backward and he stumbled in the grass.

He smiled and readied himself to attack her again. She swung her left blade and sliced his arm open. He hissed and looked at the blood trickling down his bare arm. "You should know that I killed the Kidarite king. I never got his name."

Her mouth parted and she eyed the Adame. Anastasia and Ellac came outside together then they darted for the stables. She frowned deeply and turned her gaze back to Mundus. He spun around and spotted Gabrielle fighting one of his soldiers and smiled back at Xena. She knew what he was thinking and he saw her falter for a moment so he took the opportunity to stab her in the thigh. He quickly pulled out the blade and she fell to one knee.

Mundus ran off and gripped the sword tightly. "Governor!" he yelled and Gabrielle turned around just as she had driven the blade through the Byzantine. He charged for her and plunged the sword into her shoulder and rammed her into the ground, forcing the blade further into her flesh.

Xena gaped and tried to get to her feet but her thigh bled profusely. She crawled across the grass and dragged the sword through the snow with her eyes set on Mundus. Anastasia rode into the field and Ellac separated from her to aid Xena. He hopped off and put his hand beneath her arm.

"Let go of me!" she yelled.

"Xena, you're hurt."

"I'm fine!" she continued to crawl, leaving a bloody trail behind her. He sighed and was not in the mood to argue with her. He grabbed her waist and scooped her into his arms. "Ellac! Put me down!"

"Shut the hell up, Xena." He walked over to the horse and she head butted his forehead and eyes widened but that did not deter him, although his vision was a bit blurry and his legs nearly gave out, he kept his grip firm. "I'm trying to save you, you insane woman!"

Mundus twisted the blade in Gabrielle's shoulder and she reached for her sword which was only a foot away. He grabbed the blade and pinned her to the ground. Fear was clearly shown in her eyes as he leaned over her. Anastasia rode up behind him and drew her sword and plunged it through his neck from behind.

He gasped and blood poured all over Gabrielle. She closed her eyes and scrunched her face. Ana grit her teeth and pulled out the blade and he collapsed on top of the governor further covering her in his warm blood. Ana dismounted and kicked the Byzantine general off and dropped to her knees. She observed the severe wound and took off her gloves.

"I'm sorry for this." She said in advance and before Gabrielle could prepare herself, she yanked the sword out. Blood poured out and Gabrielle bit her tongue to hold in her agonizing pain. Ana took off her thick coat and ripped her blouse's sleeve off and applied pressure to the shoulder wound.

She tried to lift herself up but Anastasia pushed her back down. "Where's Xena?"

"Ellac is handling it." She turned around and saw her mother push her husband onto the ground. "No, he's not." She smiled weakly.

Xena hobbled her way over and dropped to the ground beside her wife. She felt sick when she saw the wound. "Gabrielle, I'm sorry. I had him!"

Gabrielle frowned and looked down at her wife's bleeding leg. "But you were distracted by me."

"No, no I wasn't."

"Yes you were, Xena! You said you had him! Why didn't you finish him?! I had the other soldiers covered by myself and he attacked  _you_  because I was your distraction and he knew it. You let him attack me."

"What?" Xena crinkled her brows together. "No I didn't!"

"Yes you did! I don't need you to protect me, Xena! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself yet you obviously don't think so."

"Gabrielle!" her voice cracked.

Anastasia bit her lip in the awkward tension and eyed her mother's injury. "Mother your leg needs attention." She reached down and helped Gabrielle up to her feet. Ellac made his way over and angrily stared at Xena.

He lends his hand graciously after he had been pummeled into the ground. "Let's go and I'm not taking no for an answer this time, Xena." He said in a threatening voice. Xena lifted her head and stared at her daughter walking Gabrielle over to her horse. She stared at her leg and finally grabbed hold of his hand and he hoisted her up with ease.

* * *

Kreka sat with the commander, sewing up the large gash on her thigh. She twiddled with the long needle and pushed it through Xena's fleshy thigh as gently as she could. Xena cast her eyes downward careful not to make eye contact.

"You did this to yourself, Xena."

"I didn't ask for your insight."

The khatun nodded and dug the needle inward and tugged at the wound gently. "No, you're right, you didn't but you know this is your fault. You've hurt yourself and Gabrielle. You were clumsy."

"Thank you Kreka."

"I've known you for a long time, Xena. You were never distracted on the field before but when someone you care about is there, you worry more about them than yourself and everyone else."

Xena had a loss for words. "You're right."

"We finally agree on something." She emits a smile and snipped the leftover thread then grabbed a bandage to wrap around the commander's wounded thigh. "It took a lot for you to admit that you were wrong. I'm proud of you, Xena."

"Are you done yet?"

Kreka nodded and tied a knot and wiped her hands. "Finished but you need to stay off your leg for awhile. You should stay in bed."

"But I need to talk to Gabrielle."

She clasped a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Word of advice: stay away from her. She's upset with you and trying to talk it out while she's under heavy medication isn't going to help at all. Looks like Anastasia was right. We were attacked by Romans. They were just the wrong ones."

* * *

Arielle ran into the Adame without her friends and uncle. She met with her father and Navaz knelt down on a knee to embrace her. She crashed into him and wrapped her long lanky legs around his waist. Rubbing her back, he kissed her head and cast his eyes at the guests who accompanied his daughter.

"Who's this?" he asks.

"Oh, grandma's brothers escorted me. These are my friends, Rose and Marina. They're from Thrace." She excitedly says.

Navaz nodded and stood up after he pried her legs off. "Xena's brothers." Pirro and Ditron walked over and held out their hands.

"I'm Pirro and this is Ditron." He introduced himself and his brother. "Arielle is a great girl. She's real smart."

"And has a real smart mouth," added Ditron.

The king smiled forcefully. "Thank you for bringing her here. We're going to have a great time together, Arielle. I have a lot of activities for us to do."

"Really? I can't wait!" she cheered. She looked behind her father at a pale skinned woman dressed in all black, standing in her father's room. "Who is that?" she pointed to the woman.

Navaz turned and Safiya, the Sabir woman who he had been talking to for the last few months, was talking to one of the maids. She smiled at him and waltzed out of the room to greet everyone in the foyer. He grabbed his daughter's arm and pulled her close.

"Arielle, this is Safiya. She got you a present."

Safiya stepped forward and bent over eye level to the princess. "Happy birthday, Arielle. We're very happy that you came to Balaam to celebrate your birthday with us."

" _Us_?" the princess reiterated. "Is my father courting you?" she furrowed her eyebrows angrily and had a staring contest with the woman. "You're a Sabir. Your queen hurt my sister and killed my aunts. All of you are worthless!"

"Arielle!" Navaz reprimanded. "She's a guest in our home. You will be nice to her."

"Happy birthday to me." She grumbled and pushed her father aside and walked in between him and Safiya.

Navaz sighed and turned to the Thracian girls. "The servants will show you to your rooms," he said and Rose and Marina bowed their heads and walked off with a female servant.

Pirro and Ditron gave each other a certain look. "Well, this is going to be a fun time," commented Pirro.

* * *

Arielle threw darts at the wall in her old bedroom which had barely anything in it now since the Sabir invasion. Rose and Marina were off with Pirro and Ditron, scouting the palace with Navaz giving the guided tour. A knock came to her door and she threw another dart at the wall as she sat on her bed.

Safiya opened the door and Arielle turned her head and threw another dart. She walked in and closed the door. "Arielle, I want to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Well I do." She pulled out a wrapped box and set it on the bed. "Here's your present."

"My birthday is  _tomorrow_." She sourly said and threw another dart.

Safiya sighed and wanted to sit on the bed but instead grabbed a chair and sat next to the bed, watching the princess throw darts like a pro. "I didn't have anything to do with Queen Boareks and her invasion on your home."

"Yes you did. You're part of the problem." She stopped throwing darts and turned to the woman. "I don't know what my father sees in you. You're just like all the other Sabir women. All of you look the same, act the same and behave the same."

"That's not true, Arielle."

"Yes it is!" she sat on her knees, glaring at Safiya. "My stepmother is dead because of your people! She's never coming back and it's your fault!"

"Arielle, I am not responsible for Boareks' actions. I never liked her and she was horrible to us during her reign. You and I have that in common."

The princess laughed and jumped off the bed. "You and I don't have  _anything_  in common. You're not a Hun."

"Neither was Fairuza and you got along with her," she snidely said and Arielle frowned deeply. "I like your father and I'm not going  _anywhere_." She rose from the chair, towering over the child. "You and I are going to be great friends."

Arielle crossed her thin arms. "Doubt it."

* * *

Gabrielle was laid up in bed in one of the guest rooms within the Adame. She peeked at her shoulder wound and a bitter taste formed in her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time she was injured this badly and she had Xena to thank for that. She wanted to blame the Byzantine General but she couldn't. He was the one who drove the sword into her but he didn't instigate it.

Xena walked in the room, or more like hobbled in. The governor averts her eyes. The only good thing about this injury was that she could get up and leave anytime she wanted. Her legs did not impede her but she couldn't say the same for her guilt ridden wife in the doorway.

"Can I talk to you?"

Gabrielle kept her gaze elsewhere. Xena nodded and hobbled over to the bed and sat down slowly, careful not to open the stitches on her thigh.

"I don't want you to think that you're not incapable of fighting on your own. I think you're a great warrior, Gabrielle. You're one of the best and I don't mean to undermine you –"

"But you did. This is your fault, Xena. You're hurt and I'm hurt and guess whose fault that is?  _Yours_."

She inhaled sharply. "I know."

Surprised by that answer, the blonde governor finally looked at her wife who seemed to be very sorry and sincere. "You know?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. I got distracted because I was worried about you but I should have known that you could take care of yourself."

"Well…I forgive you." her tone short and dull. "Thanks to you I won't be able to swing a sword for at least two months." She leaned over and eyed her wife's thigh. "Looks like you won't be able to walk correctly for awhile either."

"We're a mess thanks to me," Xena joked with a big infectious smile. Gabrielle half smiled but tried to resist. "I'm really sorry, Gabrielle. You mean everything to me and the thought of losing you would…"

Gabrielle reached over and grabbed her hand. "What?"

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

She grinned and kissed her hand. Xena then leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips and her wife hissed. Any movement of her shoulder caused her great pain. "Sorry. He really hurt you bad, huh?" she lifted the bandages and cringed at the bloody wound. "Who's been dressing this for you?"

"Anastasia. When she has time."

"Well, she's fired. Hand me some fresh bandages." She held out her hand.

Gabrielle pulled back her blouse, exposing her full shoulder and Xena began dressing it correctly. "Have you seen Bayan? Does he know that his brother is dead?"

"I don't know. I was confined to my yurt by the dragon lady for the last week." She dabbed the wound with a damp cloth. "It was very brave of him to ride all the way here with the Byzantines hot on his trail."

"He's a nice boy. Are you still upset that Arielle likes hanging around him?" she winced as pressure was applied to her wound.

Xena shrugged. "You know how I feel about that subject, Gabrielle."

"She's eleven, not twenty one. She's not going to have the same life as Ana did."

"Damn right she's not and I'm going to watch her like a hawk." She cast a sneaky grin and finished bandaging her wife's shoulder. "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks. You're always so good at this."

"I've been hurt many times."

"Don't remind me. How's your leg?"

Xena looked down at her wrapped thigh. "I'll live."

* * *

Arielle tapped her fork on the plate at the dinner table. She had barely touched her food and so far her birthday had been very annoying because Safiya was there all the time. Navaz tried to show her a new bow he got for her but she was disinterested. Her new girlfriends were having the best time in the Adame and enjoyed the food and maids tending to their every wish.

Her uncles were having a good time as well, especially drinking the fine wine that was made in the cellar. She groaned and poked a squash with her fork and glared at Safiya's roaming hand on her father's shoulder.

"This is so disgusting." She blurted out and her father cast a frown. "Why don't you just marry her already? I can't stand looking at you two anymore."

"Arielle, we're not getting married." Said Navaz.

She slammed the fork on the table. "Not yet! You're just going to marry her anyway and then you'll have a baby with her too!"

"Wow, this is getting awkward," Ditron muttered to his brother and slid down in the chair.

"I want to go back home!" she pushed herself out of the chair and stormed off.

"Arielle!" Navaz stood up and stared at the girls who kept silent continuing to eat. He smiled awkwardly at Xena's brothers and Safiya who looked a little sheepish. "I'll be right back." He excused himself and threw the napkin on the table.

* * *

She sprawled herself out on the bed and buried her in the face in the pillows, hugging it tightly. Navaz opened the door slowly and saw his daughter wallowing and moping like she had been for the last couple of days. He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through her long curly hair.

She turned on her side and wiped her wet cheeks. "Arielle, I'm sorry I sprung this on you. I should have warned you before you came here."

"Yeah, you should've." She mumbled in the pillow and sniffled.

"Not all Sabir women are like Boareks. I really like Safiya you know."

She rolled over and sat up, staring into her father's dark eyes. "So you are going to marry her?"

"I don't know but I would appreciate it if you were a bit nicer to her. She worked very hard on the kozak and you didn't even say thank you."

She sighed heavily. "I guess. Hey, it's still my birthday and you know what I'd really like?"

He had a feeling he was going to be roped into her little schemes. "What?" he played along.

"I think a black horse would be great. I've wanted one for awhile now. I'm definitely old enough to have my own horse. What do you think?"

"Did your mother say it was okay?"

"Not exactly but I know you can talk to her. You can convince her." She crawled over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Please daddy?"

He raised an eyebrow and knew when she called him that that he definitely was being conned. "Maybe. We'll see." He picked her up and set her on the floor. "We didn't get to finish dinner together and you should apologize to everyone."

"But it's my birthday."

"Then I guess you don't want that horse that badly."

She gasped. "Okay, okay!" she quickly ran out of the room and he shook his head.

* * *

"Forget Odoacer. We have Justinian attacking our people now." Ellac told his wife as they sat together with Xena and Gabrielle in their conference room. "He slaughtered the Kidarites and Kandik is dead now."

Anastasia couldn't believe that Justinian would stoop so low to attack a small tribe. He just couldn't stop after he hired Boareks to do his dirty work for him. "Bayan is very upset but I received word that Bolgaris is still alive. He will be king of the Kidarites now. We promised to help them and they are under our empire now. What should we do about Justinian?"

Gabrielle raised her hand. "I think we should keep the borders secure and send a few spies to Constantinople to see what he's up to."

"Great plan, Gabrielle." she said. "But you two are too injured to go. We'll have to send Dengi and Ernak instead."

Xena hummed quietly. "I can still ride a horse."

"Mother, you don't need to go and everyone in Constantinople knows who you are. It's safer if we send Ernak and Dengi."

"Fine. I'll just sit here and do nothing like I have been for the past few weeks." She sat back and extended her injured leg. "I can still stand by on the border just in case."

"Xena, no. We'll stay here and wait until our injuries are healed," Gabrielle reassured her. "We have plenty of other people who can take our place."

"Then what is the point of being a commander if I'm just going sit here wasting away!"

Anastasia smiled. "Mom, you're hurt. Don't overexert yourself. I'd rather you concentrate on healing than furthering your injury. Ebendzar and Ellac can watch the borders, right?" she turned to her husband.

He nodded. "Oh yes, of course." He wasn't in the mood to argue with his wife since he'd been walking on eggshells around her for the last few months.

Csaba rushed into the meeting and everyone averted their eyes to him. "I'm…um, I'm sorry to interrupt but I have a problem." He began. "Edemen has a fever and Farah wants your help, mother."

Anastasia got off the floor and walked over to her son, finally feeling like she was needed after giving the two their space for the last couple of weeks. But before she left she gave her orders, "make sure Ernak and Dengizich keep low and don't let themselves be known to Justinian's men. Also, no rioting on the border if you see anything, Ellac."

"Got it," he waved his hand and she left with Csaba. "She's driving me nuts." He said and ran his hands down his face.

Xena leaned back, enjoying the two arguing once again which meant things were back to normal somewhat. "You married her."

* * *

Theodoric sat in his home in the middle of the night, having a glass of wine to himself. He spread apart the map on the table and pinned the Frank territory and had his heart set on killing Ragnachar. He still couldn't believe that the Huns gave ten thousand dinari to the Franks and they weren't lying about it either. He couldn't wait to sink his teeth into him and his army. He was prepared to go to war with the man.

Sipping his wine, his door was knocked down and Romans stormed in. He stood up immediately and smiled oddly at the Roman soldiers within his home. "Did Odoacer send you? I didn't request a meeting with him."

"No meeting, Goth king." Three soldiers ran over and grabbed the Goth into a choke hold and the Roman who spoke drove his blade into his chest. "The emperor sends his regards." He said in a gruff voice and Theodoric's eyes grew in fear as he felt the warm blood spreading inside his tunic and bare torso.

"W…why?" he manages to croak out.

"You are no longer needed by the emperor or by your own people." The Roman assured him. "Your head is worth more than an alliance." He pulled the blade out and then slit Theodoric's throat and threw him onto the table, letting him bleed out.

Alaric waltzed in and took off his gloves. He sauntered over to the table and stared at his opponent with blood all over the floor, his chest and throat. He pulled out a large pouch and shoved into a Roman's chest. "Twenty thousand ducats as promised. Make sure to tell Odoacer that I will no longer need his services. I can take it from here."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 – _Rise of Justinian Part I_

Bayan sat with Arielle outside of the encampment in the forest. He watched her polish her bow and occasionally she'd glance over and grin. He scooted closer to her on the bench and she felt their knees touching and that made her extremely nervous. He picked up his bow and dipped a dirty cloth in the bowl of polish very close to her thigh. She hid behind her curly veil of hair and he smirked then rubbed the wood leisurely.

"How was your birthday?" he asked.

"Um…" she dried off the polish and brushed hair behind her ear. "It was okay. My father is courting a Sabir woman."

He nodded, remembering that entire fiasco. "Is she nice?"

"Yeah, she's alright but I still don't trust her. She is a Sabir after all." She raised her bow in the air, admiring the shiny weapon in the glimmering sunlight beaming through the trees. "My father will probably marry her anyway if she sticks around long enough but if he does then we got a problem. I'm supposed to be queen 'cause you know, my stepmother is no longer alive." She hated to say that over and over again. "She left everything to me but Yeter has control of my position. So if my father marries Safiya that means that Yeter will no longer be regent queen and then I will have to fight my new stepmother for the role so I guess –"

"Hey Arielle," he interrupted and she stopped midsentence. He leaned over and kissed her softly.

Her eyes widened and he pulled away with a big smile. She touched her lips with her cold fingertips and raised her eyebrow. "What was that for?"

Bayan shrugged a shoulder. "I like you. Don't you like me?"

"Yeah," she blushed and set her bow down on the ground and scooted extra close to him, closing the space between them.

* * *

Oran walked through the brush of the forest leading to the river with his bow strapped to his back. He held a tree branch to allow Csaba to pass through. "Hey so how's Farah doing?"

Csaba grinned and adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "She's doing really great. She likes dressing up Edemen. I think he's on his third outfit today and it's not even noon yet."

"Maybe you should have had a girl," he teased him with a light slap on the shoulder.

"Very funny. When are  _you_  going to have a baby?" Csaba bit his bottom lip and nudged his cousin.

Oran sighed. "I don't know okay. My mother has been bothering me for months about it but I don't want to pressure Yeter. She's not very fond of me you know."

"Really? I couldn't tell." He laughed.

They both walked through the forest and their jaws dropped when they saw Arielle and Bayan together, sitting very close and swapping spit with each other. Csaba dropped his bag on the ground and marched over to the children and yanked Bayan off his sister and threw him against a tree.

Arielle gasped and grabbed her brother's arm. "Csaba, stop it!"

He lifted Bayan up by his collar and smashed his back against the tree trunk. "What do you think you're doing you piece of shit!" he spat and the Kidarite prince breathed heavily, afraid for his life. "Just who do you think you are, tonguing my sister like that?!"

"Csaba, don't hurt him!"

"Shut up, Arielle!" he threw Bayan aside and then pushed him onto the ground. "If I ever see you near my sister again I'm going to break every bone in your body." He grabbed the Mongol bow and threw it in Bayan's face. "Get out of here!"

Bayan grabbed his bow and ran out of the woods as quick as he could. Arielle slapped her brother's arm. "Csaba! How could you? He's my friend!"

He spun around and clasped her shoulders. "He was kissing you! You know the rules! You aren't supposed to be alone with him unless grandma and Gabrielle are with you!"

"Well….so! I kissed him back! I like him."

"If I ever see his tongue in your mouth again I'll kill him." He walked by and picked up his bag. "Let's go, Oran." He prompted his cousin. Oran hung his head and continued onward through the woods.

* * *

Soran and Cera sat together, painting on a large piece of parchment. They had paint brushes spread across the rug and took turns painting certain sections of the picture. Cera really liked being around Soran because he talked to her a lot and even though she couldn't answer how she wanted, she'd smile and he would keep talking.

She felt like she was closer to him than her sister and older brother ever since he started living in Pannonia. He also didn't make fun of her like Arielle did at times or bother her like Arielle did all the time. She kept thinking how lucky Arielle was that Soran was such a nice brother, but she knew that he wasn't going to stay here forever and that meant she'd have to go back to hanging around her sister and cousins. Csaba was too old to hang around and he was always with Farah and the baby or off with Oran.

"You're really good at this," he complimented and she smiled while stroking the large brush on the parchment. "Do you think your mother will let us hang this up on the wall?"

She shrugged and passed the brush onto him. He dipped the brush into the black paint and began working on his side of the painting. Cera lifted her eyes at Gabrielle who walked into the room with an unfamiliar woman.

Gabrielle greeted both children and the woman smiled at them. "Cera, remember when I told you that I'd find someone to help you communicate better with everyone?"

The princess stood up and held her arms to her sides, gazing at the woman with long wavy brown hair to match her eyes. "This is Nisa. She's from Thrace and she knows three languages, including yours. She's going to help you sign."

Cera raised her eyebrows and Nisa knelt on one knee in front of her. "Hello Cera, we're going to be spending a lot of time together. I hope we can be friends."

The redheaded girl beamed at Gabrielle and she winked at her. She grabbed Nisa's hands and brought her over to the rug. Nisa sat down beside her and Soran. "What's this?" she inquired about the picture.

Soran told her, "It's a painting." He grabbed a brush. "You wanna help us?"

"Sure."

Ernak hurried into the room, holding Kurt in one of his arms. Gabrielle turned around, almost bumping into him on her way out. "Gabrielle, where's my mother? I need her to take Kurt."

She pushed him out of the women's quarters and closed the doors. "She's with Xena. They're sparring together."

He groaned. "You've got to be joking. I have to leave with Dengi in a couple of hours to go to Constantinople. Can you take him? I really have to go."

She laughed and looked at Kurt's sweet chubby face. "As much as I'd love to, I have a lot of work to do for Anastasia. Why don't you let Yeter watch him?" she trailed off.

"I am not letting that woman watch my son!" he followed her. "She'll probably forget to feed him or something!"

"Then let Farah watch him," she threw her hands in the air.

"Life was so much easier when there were a lot more women around here." He sighed and grinned at his son. "I guess I'll go take him to Ursula. She's like babies and she's watched him before." He had to resort to his aunt which was a better option than Yeter and Farah was too busy with her four month old son anyway. "Hey, who's that woman in there with Cera and Soran?"

She turned around and saw the curiosity in his dark eyes. "She's Cera's teacher. Her name is Nisa and she's from Thrace."

* * *

Kreka had her hands on Xena's shoulders and vice versa. The two circled around each other with their foreheads almost touching. The khatun's hazel eyes sparkled as did the blue eyes opposite hers. Xena looked at the khatun's silver streaks running through her dark hair.

"You are looking quite old, Kreka. It's starting to show in your awful fighting techniques."

She raised her eyebrow. "At least I don't have wrinkles around my eyes. I can always  _hide_  my age by painting my hair."

Xena frowned and head butted her forehead and Kreka stumbled backward for a brief moment. She rolled up her sleeves and bent her knees as far as she could, mindful of her injury that was barely healing. Getting her balance back in check, Kreka swung her arm and her opponent blocked it then grabbed her long ponytail, rearing her head backwards.

" _Xena_!" she screamed and held onto the base of her ponytail. "You play dirty!" she reached behind and grabbed a handful of the commander's hair then kneed her in the face.

She grabbed her nose and staggered backward. She wiggled her nose and widened her eyes, adjusting to the blow. "You didn't say anything about playing fair."

"I'll just let you down easy. If I really wanted to, I could have broken your nose. What is it now –the fourth time that's happened?" she snickered and Xena narrowed her eyes then ran forward and kicked the khatun in the shin and then swiftly jabbed her in the ribs. Kreka inhaled sharply and wrapped an arm around her torso.

Arielle walked up to the two tall women fighting with each other. She cocked her head to the side and watched her grandmother hold the queen mother in a headlock and Kreka grabbing her hair, forcing her to stop and cursing loudly while she was doing it too. She wiped her teary eyes and threw her bow on the ground and walked up to them.

"I want to try," she distracted them and they paused in the middle of the spar.

Xena let her opponent up and Kreka ran her palm over her mangled hair then pushed Xena to the side. She shoved her back, knowing that she had to have the last word or in this case, shove. They both straightened out their black blouses and hair.

"Arielle, you're too young to spar using hand to hand," says Xena.

Her anger got to the best of her when Csaba rudely interrupted her alone time with Bayan. She desperately wanted to whack her brother in the face, but couldn't let her grandmother know that she was with Bayan alone or she'd be in a lot of trouble.

"I want to learn. Teach me!"

Kreka smiled weakly. "Maybe when you're older _, tatli kiz_."

"I don't get to do anything but learn Latin and swing a sword at air! I'm never going to learn anything if I keep this up!"

"You're too little, Arielle. I would crush you into the ground like a bug," her grandmother reminded her.

"I bet my mother knew how to fight at my age!"

Kreka pursed her mouth and snagged her coat that hung on a tree. She smiled briefly at her sparring partner and made her way back to the Adame. Xena sighed and sat down on a bench outside her yurt, rolling down her sleeves. Arielle ran over and sat down next to her.

"Come on, did she know how to fight?"

"Yes, she did but she was a little different than you." she kept this conversation short and sweet. At eleven, Anastasia was living as a boy with Attila's sons and they had no clue that she was a girl until two years later when her secret was exposed by accident. "She also knew how to read and write in Latin. We'll keep doing what we're doing and in a few years when you're old enough to spar, I'll teach you."

The princess huffed and crossed her arms. "This sucks. First I ask my father for a horse and he denies me and now this!"

Xena snickered. "A horse huh?" she played along with Arielle's bad mood. "I guess I shouldn't tell you but your mother will let you have a horse next year if you're on your best behavior."

Her blue eyes lit up. "Really?!" she jumped up and balled her fists. "This is so exciting! Can I get a black horse like yours? I will name him Tempest," she was already imagining how great her life was about to be in a year. "I can finally race with Bayan."

"Ah-ha…no." Xena grabbed her granddaughter's hands. "He's not staying forever. He's only staying here until his brother rebuilds the tribe." She saw the disappointment in her eyes, a look that reminded her of her daughter. "Did you have a good time with Rose and Marina?"

"Huh?" the princess snapped her head upward.

"Rose and Marina. Did you have a good time hanging out with them earlier?"

"Oh," she realized that she lied and almost blew her cover. "Yeah, we were just talking about…horses," she lied. "Can we get on with this training? I'd like to use a saber today."

"Gabrielle is coming over here to teach you Latin. Our lesson is tomorrow."

Arielle whined, "aweh, come on!" she kicked the dirt. She grabbed her bow and stomped in the yurt. "Stupid Latin," she grumbles.

* * *

Nearly a month after the invasion at the Kidarite location, Justinian's adviser stood and relayed the message that he didn't want to hear. General Mundus was slaughtered by the Hun Queen and he knew exactly which one it was since there were only two queens left and it sure wasn't Kreka Khatun. That woman hadn't been in the field for years –no it was Anastasia.

He rubbed his beard and the adviser bowed his head, waiting for him to lash out at any second. "Disappointing but I have to give it to those Huns; they sure know how to kill someone. He was beheaded you said?"

"According to our last standing soldier who escaped, yes." He regretfully said.

"I received a letter from Odoacer. He says that Theodoric is no longer a problem." He sighs, a bit disturbed to hear that. "He asks for my help against the Franks that possibly want to invade Rome. But, since I do not like him, I won't send any aid. I doubt the Franks will come all the way to Rome. They'll want Goth territory now. He also lost Dalmatia to Ellac, which is no surprise. I suppose I should expect some Huns in Constantinople soon. They love to spy on me."

"Yes sir, they do."

The emperor stood up and paced back and forth nervously. "Since they love to spy on me, I'd like to send a spy to Pannonia –someone they will not suspect. I need a woman."

The adviser's head lifted. "Sir?"

"Theodosius sent a woman as a spy to Pannonia to assassinate Attila and she succeeded. Lucky for her, she actually completed her mission and then she was beheaded so the story goes." He laughs lightly. "Maybe I shouldn't send a spy. Perhaps I could make contact with someone already there?"

"I hear the Gokturk queen is living with the Huns now."

"Ah, Gokturks. They are untrustworthy. I don't trust a Gokturk. Is there anyone else? I don't want to raid Pannonia. It'll put a dent in my treasury."

The adviser spoke softly, "If I may, emperor, I suggest that you do not do anything to the Huns. Let them spy on you and wait in hiding. Make them think you are not going to attack them."

"Hmm." He paused and gazed at the fireplace. "I have done that before. I waited five years to attack the Huns and it served me well. Boareks did a fine job eliminating most of the tribes. I need a new general to oversee my army. Send in the commanding officers that Mundus trained. Oh and I want to see Peroz and Hormizd. I'll go to their location myself if I have to."

The man stood frozen in place and Justinian grabbed a glass and threw it at the wall. "Get out of here!"

* * *

Gabrielle sat in the yurt going over Arielle's first exam after months of practicing Latin. She flipped the page over and cringed slightly. Her wife sat opposite her eating some pepper dip and bread. Xena threw the crusted bread on the plate and spat out the dip in a napkin.

"Who made this dip?" she scraped her tongue with the back of her hand. "Kreka didn't make this. God dammit, I'm going to have this taste in my mouth for the rest of the day now." She reached over for the wine to drown her taste buds.

The governor threw the papers down and scratched her head. "Xena, I'm sorry but Arielle is having a hard time learning Latin."

"It isn't an easy language to learn. I'm sure she'll get it soon enough."

"She's horrible. She's worse than Ana and Csaba combined. I don't think she's paying attention to my lessons at all. I don't think I can be her teacher anymore. Maybe I should find someone else to teach her."

Xena drank a full glass of wine and finally the taste of the rotten dip was fading. "Gabrielle, you're a great teacher. You always have been. It's not you, it's her. Her head is obviously somewhere else. The other day I almost whacked her in the face with my sword. She's not paying attention to me either."

Gabrielle groaned and slapped her hands over her eyes. "When is Bayan going home? He's obviously distracting her. I can't do this, Xena. She's driving me crazy and look at this paper!" she waved the exam in her wife's face. "Look at it!"

"Okay, okay!" she chuckled and grabbed the paper and read over it. She thought her blonde wife was exaggerating but it was apparent Arielle truly was a bad student. "Well…maybe she can learn Greek or something." She tossed the paper on the rug. "It's only  _one_  test, Gabrielle. She'll do better on the next one."

"Yeah right." She gathered up the papers and stacked them in a neat pile. "I have a meeting with Ana now. I'll see you later."

"Ooo, top secret meeting huh? I can't come?"

Gabrielle stood up and grabbed her coat. "No commanders allowed," she joked and slipped the coat on. Her eyes were on the unfinished dip and she hid a small grin. "By the way, Kreka  _did_  make that dip…"

Xena's mouth parted and glared at the food.

"Just for you." she buttoned up her coat. "She said it was payback for hitting her in the ribs a couple of weeks ago. She told me to tell you that." She couldn't help but laugh at her wife's shocked face and left the yurt. "I'll be back in a couple of hours!"

She crinkled her nose. "That hag," she muttered.

* * *

Anastasia sat at her desk, looking over several documents which were boring her to death. Her governor walked in and suddenly she felt a sense of relief. Without greeting her properly she pulled out a very important letter and handed it over to Gabrielle.

"This is from Navaz. He says he might marry some Sabir woman within the next few months. He will keep Yeter in charge of Balaam even if he decides to marry her."

Gabrielle glanced at the letter. "Safiya?"

Ana lifted her tired eyes. "How do you know her name?"

"Arielle isn't shy when it comes to talking about her," she awkwardly mentioned.

"How is she doing with her studies?" she folded her hands together on the table and smiled.

Gabrielle lowered her eyes and set the letter on the desk. A part of her wanted to lie and tell her that everything was going fine but she was definitely Xena's daughter and knew when someone was lying. "Really bad, Ana. She failed her first exam. She's not focused at all. I think she's too young and immature to handle this amount of responsibility."

"If I can do it so can she. She just needs to stop thinking about Bayan."

"Oh, so you know about her infatuation with him?" she seemed surprised.

"I know everything, Gabrielle." she grinned and continued to flip through her pile of papers. "She's in her room right now. She's supposed to be studying but we both know she's not." She lets out a heavy sigh and pulled out another document. "Pascal is still being held prisoner here but when Csaba and Farah move to Banat, he's their problem. Make sure this gets to them."

She nodded and rolled up the parchment and stuck it in her belt. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Ana rummaged through the stack of papers. "If I can just find it…" she mumbled and pulled out a paper from the middle of the stack and handed it over. "There's been some strange activity going on in the markets in west Pannonia. I want you and my mother to go there and check it out."

Gabrielle looked at the orders, which were short and sweet. She flipped the paper over to see if there was anything else she needed to know. "Do you know what kind of activities are going on?"

"No, but that is your job to find out, isn't it?" she gave a terse smile.

"I suppose it is…" she mutters. "Anastasia, are you okay? You seem a little…tense." She hated to use that word, but her snarky attitude was hard to brush off.

The queen leaned back in the chair and gave her governor an incredulous glare. "I am very busy, Gabrielle, as you can see." She nudged her head at the documents. "I want you two to leave today to west Pannonia and then give me a report. Understand?"

"Yes…" she frowned and turned around to leave. She had no idea what on earth she was supposed to be looking for and apparently neither did Anastasia but she had her orders. She rubbed her forehead and left the room, bemused and frazzled.

* * *

Instead of going back to the yurt to tell her wife the exciting news of going on a mission, Gabrielle decided to check on her pupil. She came to Arielle's room and two guards were posted outside. She eyed them both and opened the door to find the princess lying on her bed, writing silently. It appeared that she was studying so that meant Ana was wrong.

"You're studying," she observed and Arielle tapped the quill on the parchment.

"Mother said I have to." Arielle sat up and sighed. "You like my guards outside? Mother is my warden now," she joked. "She won't let me come out of my room unless they escort me around the Adame."

Gabrielle frowned and sat on the bed. All the times she was teaching Latin or Xena teaching combat, Arielle was locked in her room for the rest of the time she wasn't with them. "I'm sure she has a good reason for all the protection." She doubted that though.

"She's lost her mind, Gabrielle." the princess lounged on the pillows. "She's really mean to me."

"No, she's not Arielle."

"Yes she is! She's changed! I don't know what is wrong with her but I don't wanna be stuck in my room all the time. She can't keep me in here forever."

Gabrielle nodded and recognized the behavior. It reminded her of Xena but it was on a whole different level of crazy over protectiveness. "I think she doesn't want you to be around Bayan without an adult."

"As if I'd bring Bayan to my room. If I wanted to see him I wouldn't risk bringing him into the Adame!" she giggled.

"What did you say?" she leaned in closer.

Arielle's eyes widened and caught herself. "What."

"Arielle, have you been seeing Bayan behind our backs?"

"No, of course not."

"Are you lying to me?"

She paused. "No…"

Gabrielle got off the bed. "Just keep studying. Your mind is somewhere else and you failed your exam so I suggest you study real hard for the next one in a couple of months."

* * *

Per the queen's orders, the commander and her wife rode into west Pannonia. Xena kept her face pretty hidden with a scarf around the lower half of her face. She didn't want to cause an alarm and kept her eyes peeled for any suspicious behavior. Her eyes darted from left to right several times and narrowed her eyebrows scanning the dozens of people shopping for rugs, jewelry and clothing items.

"Um, Gabrielle," she leaned over on the horse, "What exactly are we looking for?"

"I have no idea." She pulled the green veil off her face. "Anastasia said there was some strange activity. Xena, she's very stressed out. She was very curt with me and she's keeping Arielle locked away in her room. Does that sound familiar to you?"

Xena rolled her eyes with a slight flutter. "One problem at a time please. Maybe we should continue on foot to get a closer look."

Gabrielle dismounted her horse and pulled on the reigns walking through the busy street. She kept eyeing the women picking out jewelry, men admiring weapons, children playing with the goats and small horses in the pin afar. She stuck close to Xena and didn't feel like there was anything strange going on around here. She was starting to believe that Ana sent them on a wild goose chase.

Off in a corner aside from all the merchants, there were a gaggle of girls and several tall men with various skin colors. Some were fair, some dark, some in between, all had long dark, auburn and blonde hair to match their skin. Xena put her arm in front of her wife to protect her.

"We'll wait here and watch." She whispered and they walked behind a yurt and hushed their horses. Gabrielle bent over and poked her head around the yurt. The men took the group of women and bound them with ropes and pushed them towards a large caravan.

Gabrielle pushed up the headdress above her forehead and adjusted her gloves. Xena squinted her eyes and the women tried to get away but there were too many men. "They're going to sell them," whispered the blonde. "Who are those men?" she asked and looked around her only to find herself talking to a wall. "Xena?"

She whipped her head around and Xena was already on her way to talk to the men. "Fantastic…" she muttered and left their horses by the yurt and hurried over to join her ambitious partner.

Xena tapped a blonde man's shoulder and he spun around, staring into her blue eyes. "What are you doing with these girls?"

He tried to see who she was but her face was concealed. "None of your business." He shrugged her off and grabbed a girl and Xena pulled him back and socked him in the face. He fell backward onto a barrel of wine and the other men drew their weapons.

"Those girls are Huns and I'd like to know where you're taking them."

"We…are aware they are Huns," the blonde male stood up and wiped the blood off his nose. "They were sold to us and they are our property now. We can do what we want with them."

"No you can't."

Gabrielle walked up and heard the entire conversation. "What are you going to do with those girls?" she asked the same question her wife did.

The man snickered. "As I said, they are our property now. We are taking them to a convent in Constantinople. Their families sold them to us. This is west Pannonia after all and we are allowed here, Huns or not."

Xena ripped the veil off her face and the men's eyes grew in fear. "You aren't taking them anywhere!"

"The deal has been made."

"Xena!" she grabbed her arm. "They are travelers and are permitted to make financial negotiations and deals in west Pannonia. They have every right to take these girls."

"They're selling them to Justinian's empire!" she yelled, causing a scene. "These girls aren't goats. They can't be bought for a small amount of coin. Release them or I will personally take you to the queen."

The man shook his head. "No can do. I have my orders to take them to the convent."

"You aren't even Roman. Who are you?"

"Vandals."

Gabrielle frowned. "Vandals?" it had been awhile since she dealt with these people and they were very far from their home. Obviously Justinian was very busy grabbing every empire and buying them off. First it was the Sabirs and now the Vandals. The Franks were already planning to attack Rome and Goth territory, and now this.

Xena growled. "You aren't leaving with them!" she drew her swords and sliced through the man who kept insisting on talking back to her. The other Vandals came charging at her and she fought three men at once.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and stepped in to help even though she had no intention or want to do this. She jumped on one of the dark haired Vandals and with a swift turn of her thighs, she broke his neck and he fell face forward in the grass. While Xena was busy fighting off a group by herself, she ran over to the girls tied up.

She smiled at them and ordered them to stand back. She cut through the ropes with the blade and they took the ropes off their wrists. "Go!" she ordered but the young Hun girls stood in fear, watching the fight. "Why are you standing there? I said go!"

"We can't go back home," one of the girls told her.

"Why not?" Gabrielle nervously looked behind her as Xena was slashing into the Vandals' flesh and screaming loudly.

"Our families sold us to the convent. They…said we bring dishonor to our homes," she bowed her head as did the other five girls.

She sighed. " _Great_."

Xena let out a loud cry and drove her sword into one of the Vandal's scalps and cut through his head. Gabrielle folded her arms and her wife's smile was a bit eerie. Once again, enjoying it too much. The Vandal fell backward and Xena looked at her bloody blade and spotted her blonde wife glaring at her. Her smile quickly faded and she wiped the Vandal blood off her cheek with her gloved hand.

All of the Vandal traders were on the ground, bleeding out or almost dead. Xena saw one of them still breathing and she stabbed him in the chest and stepped over his body. Gabrielle shook her head. "Are you finished?"

"Yes…" she cleared her throat and adjusted the headdress, smiling at the horrified girls.

"Now that you've had your fun, we have a problem."

* * *

"Vandals are in Pannonia?" asked Anastasia for the third time in a row.

"Not anymore," Xena alleged with a sly smile.

Her daughter shot her a look and she wiped her nose and turned away. "What is going on here? We have the Vandals here, Franks, Byzantines, and Goths. This is insanity! Since when are the Vandals working for Justinian? This is too much and doesn't make sense. I think we should change the rules. No more travelers allowed in west Pannonia."

Gabrielle grabbed Ana's arm. "You can't just block west Pannonia. It brings a lot of business to those merchants."

"Vandals bought girls! What am I supposed to do about that?" she clenched her fists and scrunched her face up.

Xena raised her eyebrows. "Ana, you need to calm down. The girls can stay here. Their families don't want them and maybe we should do something about that but for now, they'll stay on this side of Pannonia. I think you need a break. Maybe you should take a couple of days for yourself to relax."

"Yeah and Kreka can take over for you. She's used to the workload," suggested Gabrielle.

Ana took in a deep breath and relaxed her fingers. "Alright, I'll go take a bath and sit in my room for awhile."

"But don't do opium," joked Xena.

"Mom! I'm finished with that. Ellac made me get rid of it."

"Just checking."

* * *

Farah walked out of the baths and ruffled her damp hair. She threw the towel on the chair and turned around to find Csaba sleeping on the bed with their son lying on his chest. Edemen's mouth was slightly ajar and his tiny arms across Csaba's chest.

She grinned and tip toed over and ran her fingers through her husband's hair and he stirred awake. His eyes fluttered open to see her gorgeous face above him. He felt a heavy weight on his chest and forgot that he was supposed to be watching their son but fell asleep instead. He sat up slowly and lifted Edemen off his chest and relocated him to the bed and placed a pillow beside him.

"You look nice," he whispered. He gripped her hips and brought her close and kissed her flat abdomen.

"I just washed my hair," she gripped his shoulders and squeezed them lightly. "You know, I don't have to feed him for a few hours. Maybe your mother can watch him for awhile so we can spend time together."

The thought of being alone with his wife after spending every waking moment with their son, excited him. But his mother was on his mind and he frowned. Farah sat down beside him and laid a leg over his lap. "My mother is really stressed out right now. Maybe it's not the best idea for her to watch Edemen."

"Oh come on, Csaba!" she wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "She loves him and would do anything for him. I'm sure that'd cheer her up."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded and slipped the robe off her leg. "I'm sure. When you get back I won't be wearing anything…" she hinted.

His jaw dropped and he grabbed Edemen and held him in his arms, trying not to wake him. "I'll be right back."

* * *

Anastasia slumped into the hot bath water. She felt her muscles release a good amount of tension under the hot steaming water. She ran her hands over her wet hair and for once she enjoyed the silence. There were none of her children in her room asking for her, not her mother, not Gabrielle, not Ellac or his brothers.

She slipped under the water with her head above water and ran her hands down her thighs, trying to focus on relaxing herself but she kept worrying about everyone else. Bored already, she swam over to the edge of the bath and uncorked the bottle of oil. A quick whiff of the oil made her stomach churn. She gagged and set the bottle down and thought that the water should be enough to soothe her bad mood.

"Mom!"

Her eyes bugged out and she thought she was going crazy, hearing her name being called by one of her children. She sank deeper into the water and thought that was just in her mind.

"Mom, are you in the baths?" Csaba called out.

Anastasia sighed and lifted her head out of the water. "Yes, Csaba…" it definitely wasn't in her mind.

He stood in the doorway with his back turned. "I was wondering if you could watch Edemen for a little while? I want to spend time with Farah."

She didn't want to turn him away. So much for her alone time. "I'll be out in a minute."

Moments later she came out of the baths with a black silk robe on and dripping wet hair. Csaba got off the bed, holding his son with a big smile on his face. He looked at her tired eyes and pale face. "Oh, um, if you're too tired to watch him it's okay."

"No, no, I'm fine." She held out her arms and he handed off his son to her. She sat down on the bed and smiled at her grandson who was gazing up at her with his big green eyes. " _Sevimli kucuk cocuk_ ," she whispered softly and he grinned with a toothless smile.

She stared up at her son who was still standing in her room. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Oh, right! Thanks mother, you're the best. I'll be back in a few hours, I swear." He kissed her cheek and ran out.

* * *

Farah combed her hair in the mirror and opened up her robe slightly exposing her breasts. She winced when she ran her fingers down her sore breasts and would definitely have to remind Csaba to steer clear of that area for awhile longer, possibly a year or so. The door opened and she smiled then set down the comb.

"Did you take the baby to your mother?" she asked and spun around in the chair and gasped. She stood up and closed her robe and tied the sash around her thin waist.

She expected her husband to walk in but was horrified to see an unknown man with long blonde hair in her room instead. Her eyes darted to the wrack of weapons and she ran over and he snatched her arm and wrapped his arm around her thin frame. She struggled against him and he threw her onto the bed, pinning her arms to the pillows.

"Get off!" she yelled and he covered her mouth with his large hand. She screamed and tried to sit up but his he was too strong. He smiled down at her and slipped his fingers within her and her eyes widened.

Csaba walked into the room and saw a man on top of his wife. He ran over and grabbed a saber and stabbed him in the side. The blonde intruder stumbled to the side and grabbed Csaba by the throat and shoved him into the wall.

Farah closed her robe and crawled off the bed, breathing sharply and deeply. She fell onto the floor frantically and then got to her feet and turned around to see her husband being choked to death. She frowned and ran up behind the blonde and took a poker from the fireplace and whacked him on the back of the head.

Csaba's throat was released and he coughed violently. Now that the man was distracted he took the opportunity to slice through his chest and drive him into the next nearby wall and force the blade in further. He pulled out the blade and the blonde intruder slid down the wall, blood trailing down as he plopped onto the floor. Csaba tossed the sword aside and noticed the pendant around the man's neck.

"I don't recognize this symbol," he was too focused on the pendant to bother with his wife. He spun around and Farah's wide fearful eyes were planted on the man who tried to rape her. "Farah, I'm sorry." He cupped her cheeks. "Are you alright?"

She crinkled her brows together and looked down at herself and wiped her hand along her inner thigh. Now she was even more horrified than before when she looked at her blood soaked fingers.

"Oh," he muttered. "I'll go get my mother. Just stay here," he ushered her to the bed.

"I am not staying in this room with that man!" she yelled.

"You're bleeding! You can't walk out like  _that_!" he gestured to her naked body beneath the robe.

"Csaba, don't leave me here with him!" she gripped his arm tightly.

He groaned and ruffled his hair then eyed the dead man on the floor. Farah's breathing became very sharp when she saw blood soaking the sheets. Csaba cringed in disgust and worry at the same time. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

"Csaba, don't you dare leave me here!" she begged.

"You need help! He's dead! He won't hurt you."

* * *

Hours later Xena and Gabrielle stood in Csaba's room, staring at the dead man lying on the floor. Xena held the pendant in her hand and threw it onto the corpse. "Vandals strike again. They're on a roll."

Gabrielle wagged her head and glanced around at all the blood on the floor and walls that had yet to be cleaned up. "What do we do now? We can't just leave him here."

"We aren't." The commander smiled gleefully. "We're going to send his body to Justinian."

"That will only incite him even more."

"That is precisely the point, Gabrielle. It was only a matter of time before he sent people to attack us. Unfortunately, it was Farah who was attacked and I am not sure why." She tapped her cheek. "Why go for Farah? Why not Anastasia?"

The governor scoffed. "What does it matter who he attacked?"

"It matters. That man came in here without anyone knowing. This has happened far too many times. Either our security sucks around here or something happened at the border and we don't know about it. I told you we should have gone there instead of Ellac and Ebnedzar."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with those Vandals you slaughtered earlier, would it?" she snidely remarked.

Xena raised her eyebrow at her wife and snarled. "None of this makes any sense. Vandals haven't been a problem for us since Ana was a teenager. Now suddenly they're popping out of the ground like weasels."

"And apparently so are the Franks."

"Justinian has been a very busy boy."

"You think the Franks are working for Justinian too? How could he have pulled this off so quickly?"

Xena sighed. "Gabrielle, think about it. He hasn't attacked us for five years. All this time he's been planning. Who knows what kind of deals he's made since then? Boareks was the most destructive. Vandals and Franks are a bit out of his way, but it's possible he's made some deal with them."

"But why?"

"If I had the answer, I'd tell you." she stared at the Vandal corpse. "Tell Oran and Csaba to get this filth out of here and send a messenger to Constantinople's borders and drop his body off near Justinian's palace."

Gabrielle felt like that was a horrible idea and really she should be making the decisions here but she had no idea how to handle this situation other than to trust her wife. "And then what happens after that?"

"Expect more chaos of course. Keep up, Gabrielle. How long have you lived here? Are you new?" she chuckled and walked out of the bedroom.

**Things are about to get really crazy and it will last a lot longer than a couple of chapters**


	36. Chapter 36

**This is the beginning of an incredibly long feud between the Goths, Franks, Vandals, Byzantines, Berbers, Persians and Huns. After this chapter I will be skipping ahead a few years. This chapter and the previous are the foundation/planning for these wars. Expect old characters to return and new ones to arise. Thanks for continuing to read everyone ;)**

Chapter 36 – _Rise of Justinian Part II_

Ernak and Dengi returned from their spying mission in Constantinople and regretfully informed Anastasia that there was nothing to be alarmed about. They were surprised when they found out about the Vandals flourishing in west Pannonia and the attack on Farah. Ellac and Ebnedzar also came back from guarding the borders between Justinian's empire and theirs. There was no activity there either but everyone in Pannonia was certain that the arrogant Byzantine Emperor was planning something else.

Vandals in Hun land was uncommon considering their empire was so far away but it was clear that the two entities were working together. Ana and Ellac ruled out the Franks working for Justinian because it just didn't seem like their style. Ragnachar couldn't wait to get out of Pannonia fast enough once he received the large sum of coin for the children's exchange.

Instead of Anastasia taking a break and leaving her queenly duties to her counterpart, she decided to block out everyone and focus on Justinian. She was absent from her children for several weeks and refused to talk to anyone unless it was a report being relayed to her. While she was worried that Byzantines were going to raid her land, the entire encampment was dead silent. There was zero activity to be held and everyone carried on with their lives as if nothing was happening.

She even gave her mother and Gabrielle mindless jobs around the camp but they kept coming back empty handed. For once she felt more useless than she did when she was out of commission as a queen and most of all she felt like she was failing her people by not being prepared enough. But the strange thing was that they were waiting for something to happen and nothing was happening. Justinian lay dormant in his palace. He continued to plan and devise behind their backs and the Huns had to sit and wait for the explosive bomb to be dropped on them.

Anastasia lay waste in the bathroom within her room and had her head over a pan, vomiting consistently. She pulled her hair back tightly and gagged as she continued to heave and retch. Xena walked into the room, listening and watching her daughter vomit everything up in her body. She took off her coat and draped it over a marble bench and approached her sickly daughter.

She knelt down and clasped her shoulder. Ana lifted her sunken eyes and wiped the corners of her mouth. Xena tried to be supportive of the girl and picked out debris in her daughter's mangled hair.

"Ana…" she began softly, "you've been in here for days. I really think you need to see a healer."

"No, I'm fine." She leaned backward on the wall and wrapped an arm over her very uneasy stomach. Her sweaty face glistened in the dimly lit room and she squinted her eyes at the sun beams shining through the window.

Xena glanced over at the pan filled with every morsel her daughter's body had. "Yeah, you don't look fine to me." She pushed the pan aside and sat beside her daughter. "You look worse than you did three days ago."

"I said…" she breathed in tersely, "I'm fine mother. Now could you please leave…me alone?" she begged in baited breath and rubbed her throbbing head.

"Anastasia, you've been throwing up everything for the last week! You can't even keep water down! I'm not going to let you stay in here by yourself." She stood up and held out her hand. "Come on."

The stubborn queen pushed the giving hand away and curled her legs close to her. "I don't need your help."

"For god's sake," muttered Xena. She bent down and pulled her daughter off the floor and Ana nearly fell over. She put her hand around her daughter's incredibly thin waist and walked her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

She set Ana on the bed and stripped her of her dress and tossed it onto the floor. She was horrified at the sight of her daughter's thin frame. Once a healthy slender yet muscular woman now had the frame of a sickly woman. She ignored that and slipped another dress over Ana's head and pulled her lifeless arms through the sleeves.

"You're going to stay in bed and I'll be here with you."

Ana shook her head slowly. "No…no. You have other duties. You can't stay here and watch me. I'm fine." She tried to get up and collapsed back onto the bed.

"Yeah, you're real  _fine_." She grumbled and pulled back the sheets and pointed at the bed. "Get in."

Ana cast a half smile. "I am not…a child."

"I'm not going to say it again." She warned and widened her eyes. Ana's smile disappeared and she hated that look so she obliged and crawled into bed without argument.

* * *

Arielle sat at a desk in her room to focus on her studies with Gabrielle. She tried to write the Latin sentence that was given to her for the last few minutes but was unable to finish due to her mind on other things. She set the quill down and looked over at her teacher who was becoming very impatient with her.

"Gabrielle, can I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"Is mother alright? She's really sick."

Gabrielle sighed and was not in the mood to talk about this subject. It was bad enough that Arielle was so distracted by Bayan and now this. She picked up the pen and placed it in the princess' hand. "I think we should focus on Latin for now." She kindly replied.

"Is she going to get better?"

"Of course she will."

"But what if she doesn't?"

Gabrielle tapped the parchment. "Focus on Latin, Arielle." She urged the unconvinced princess and saw the sadness in her eyes. "She'll be fine, don't worry."

Arielle went back to writing and then paused, "do we really have to continue doing this? My father is probably going to marry Safiya so she'll take my place. I won't even have the chance to be queen!"

The teacher knew this lesson wasn't going to go well from the beginning especially with all of these questions and of course, the princess' mind traveling in all sorts of directions. "Your father still wants Yeter to be regent queen. Safiya isn't going to take anything away from you so this is still very important."

"Ugh, Yeter. I wish she wasn't regent. She's not even a Hun. I can't believe my father made me sign that dumb paper."

Gabrielle grabbed the pen from her pupil and gathered the parchment that had barely been touched. "The lesson is over, Arielle. It's obvious that you can't focus…again."

"We've been doing this for months! I am very focused! I will be a great queen one day!"

"Not if you can't write Latin you won't."

"Gabrielle, do you mind if I go hang out with Rose and Marina?"

"Only for an hour and come straight back!"

* * *

Yeter came into Csaba's room to drop off some clothing for Farah and Edemen. Now that Anastasia was very ill, Kreka was in charge and not only was she bossier than Ana, but she had duties for everyone in the entire family to do, except for Xena and Gabrielle for obvious reasons. The Gokturk stepped into the room and Farah was in bed, nursing her son.

"I brought your clothes," she says and Farah gawks at the woman with emotionless eyes. "Where do you want them?"

Farah nudged her head at the chair. "Just over there is fine." She said and Yeter nodded and walked over and placed the clothes on the chair. Farah pulled her son away and fixed her brassiere, adjusting the strap on her shoulder and closed the robe.

Yeter took longer than necessary to place the clothes on the chair and looked over her shoulder at Farah holding Edemen. She folded the last dress and Farah lifted her head then the Gokturk averted her eyes. The two women were still not on good terms, despite Yeter's softer attitude towards everyone.

Her eyes were focused on Edemen and she smiled warmly. Farah held her son close and conspicuously watched the woman eyeing her son with a smile she had never seen on that face before. "Do you want to hold him?" she offered and Yeter nodded.

Hesitantly she gave her son to the Gokturk queen and the smile on Yeter's pale face grew when she held Edemen in her arms. Farah's disdain for the woman faded away and she grinned at her son whose eyes were wide and intrigued by the new person he laid his eyes on.

"He likes you."

Yeter looked at the Czarina with a big grin. "You think so?"

"Well, he's not crying like he does when my sister holds him." She joked.

* * *

Lying had become habitual for Arielle and while she didn't feel good about it, at least she had plenty of excuses to keep her aunt and grandmother busy. Now that her mother wasn't feeling well, her grandmother was preoccupied and Gabrielle was tending to the khatun's orders, no matter how ridiculous they may be. The perfect excuse she used was that she was with Rose and Marina, but in fact, she hadn't seen those two girls in a week or more.

She pulled Bayan behind a yurt and looked around to see if any of her family members were around. Luckily for her everyone was in the Adame away from the fields and camp. Bayan grinned and she put her hand around his mouth.

"The coast is clear! I only have an hour or Gabrielle is going to come looking for me."

He nodded and took her hand off his mouth. "Is your brother going to beat me up?" he asked worriedly.

"Only if he catches us which he won't. He was nice enough not to tell my mother about what happened." She punched his shoulder and he winced. "What should we do tonight? I'd like to have an archery contest. I've been practicing a lot."

He folded his arms. "I have a better idea. How about I teach you how to ride a horse? You're going to get one soon, right? We can use my horse."

"What a great idea!" she cheered and bit her bottom lip, glancing around at people passing by. "So, tonight, after dinner, I will come to your yurt and we can practice. Sound good?" she asked.

Yeter walked over to Oran's yurt with a big smile on her face after she visited Farah and Edemen. She was anxious to talk to him and then she saw the princess with that Kidarite boy and frowned. She crept around the yurt they were hiding behind and listened to their conversation.

The two children finished conversing and Yeter stepped out from behind the yurt and Arielle bumped into her. She grimaced down at the girl and Arielle's eyes grew in fear. Bayan walked in the opposite direction oblivious to the Gokturk Queen's knowledge of their little talk.

"What are you doing with that boy? I thought you weren't supposed to be alone with him."

Arielle's eyes wandered and she smiled up at the woman. "You're not going to tell anyone about this are you?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because…you're my favorite aunt," she smiled cheekily and Yeter was more than unconvinced. "Please, Yeter? This will ruin everything! He's going to be leaving soon!"

"Then you will have plenty of time to study to become queen, now won't you?" she snickered and stormed back to the Adame.

"Oh my god," Arielle panicked and slapped her cheeks. "Yeter, no!" she ran after her and grabbed hold of her waist. "Please don't tell anyone!"

Yeter struggled with the weight of the tall lanky princess hanging onto her like a monkey. She growled and pushed her away. "Get off me you little ingrate!" she yelled and hurried up the stairs.

"Yeter, please!"

The queen turned around on the top step. "You'll never be queen if you keep acting like a spoiled brat!" she yelled and a few heads were turned, listening to the argument. She scoffed and went inside the Adame and Arielle stood at the bottom of the staircase with fear and tears in her eyes forming slowly, expecting the worst to come.

* * *

Much to Justinian's surprise, the Vandal king, Guthamund, came to visit Constantinople. When he requested to talk with him, he was expecting an exchange of letters over the next few months but a face to face meeting was preferred. He had not dealt with Vandals before but figured since their empire covered so much of North Africa and Iberia, which was very close to Odoacer's side of the Roman Empire, he could gain some leverage everywhere.

Since General Mundus was out of commission, he appointed a new general which was Mundus' commanding officer of the army. General Belisarius was more regal than Mundus and had worked under quite a few ministers who were in charge of the Hagia Sophia. He had several invasions behind him and was even a bit older than his predecessor.

The good news of the Vandal king's arrival was brought to a halt when General Belisarius walked into the emperor's conference room and plopped down a Vandal corpse which reeked to the high heavens. Justinian cringed in disgust as did his wife who was present in the room awaiting the Vandal king's arrival.

"What the fuck is this?" he pointed to the Vandal corpse.

"This body was found by the Black Sea, emperor. The Huns probably planted the body there as a warning I'm sure." He concluded.

Justinian circled the body and was repulsed by the rotting corpse. The man had to have been sitting by the sea for weeks at least by the looks of his flesh peeling off and bloated innards and hair matted to his scalp, or what was left of it.

"Get this out of my sight," he waved his hand and General Belisarius snapped his fingers at the soldiers and they dragged the corpse out of the room. "Those barbarians don't know when to quit. Why did they bring a Vandal to me?"

"I am not sure sir but I am positive that King Guthamund can explain. Shall I send him in?"

The emperor nodded and the general showed himself out and in walked the Vandal king, sandy colored long hair and a braided beard, walked into the room not even a moment later. He bowed out of respect at the two monarchs.

"Justinian, I hope I am not intruding."

"Not at all. I didn't know you were going to make an appearance here. This is my wife, Empress Theodora. She will be present during our meeting. I hope you don't mind."

Guthamund bowed his head to the empress. "This is your home. I am merely a guest," he spoke eloquently which was off putting to the emperor. "I am here because you mentioned in your letter that you want to ally with my kingdom. Is this true?"

Justinian straightened out his robes. "Yes. I want control of your tariffs and I want you to get rid of Odoacer's men in Africa. I hear he has a lot of control in that area."

"Yes he does. It's become quite the nuisance to my people. I should mention that I don't work for free, emperor."

"Ah," he grins. "I will give you a share of my treasury if you get rid of the Romans in Africa. You also said in your response that you are having issues with a tribal people…" he hinted, not knowing the politics of this side of the world unlike his counterpart.

Guthamund clenched his fist. "The Berber people are taking over my share of the empire. I don't have enough men to be rid of them."

"Perhaps I can help with that." He waved his hand at his adviser. "How many men do you need?"

"You are so eager to help me yet I know for a fact that Romans, especially ones from Constantinople, are not friends with Vandals. Why do you want to be my ally?"

Justinian held the quill in his hand and parchment in the other. "I know you can help me build our empires. I will also not have to worry about Odoacer if you are my ally." He set the parchment on the table and dipped the quill in the ink bottle. "So, how many men will you require?"

The Vandal king took a shot in the dark and said, "twenty thousand men."

"Thirty thousand it is," the emperor played into the hands of the man with an increase of reinforcements. "I will also increase funds for an invasion of the Berbers but you must answer one question for me."

The man nodded in silence and puffed out his chest.

"What are your people doing in Hun territory?"

* * *

Arielle sat in a chair once again, in front of her grandmother, Gabrielle and Ellac. She felt like this was a déjà vu moment and of course it had everything to do with Bayan. She was inwardly chastising herself that she should have been more careful with Bayan but no, Yeter had to catch her in the act just like Csaba did. Now she knew she was going to be yelled at but nobody was saying anything which was incredibly unnerving.

Ellac glared at his stepdaughter who couldn't look him in the eye. "Arielle, why do you keep doing this? How is anyone going to trust you if you keep lying to everyone? You know you aren't supposed to be around Bayan!"

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

"Nobody is going to believe you!" he yelled and she flinched. "Your mother is very sick and nobody has time for your irresponsible behavior! I don't know what to do with you. You lied to Gabrielle, you lied to your grandmother, you lied to everybody."

"I said I was sorry." She mumbled.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it!" he huffed. "You know what; I think I should leave your punishment to your grandmother."

Xena's mouth parts slightly and she gripped his shoulder. "Ellac, I don't know if you want me to do that."

"Yes I do. Give her a hard time. She needs to face her consequences, which is something she's never had to do before. She will learn."

* * *

Over the last hour Arielle swam laps in the Danube River. She finished her tenth lap and collapsed onto a rock and pushed back her wet hair. She stared up at her grandmother and aunt with pleading eyes. "Can…I…stop for now? I think I learned my lesson."

Xena shook her head. "I didn't say you could stop. Keep going." She waved her hand and the princess whined and wiggled her sore arms and began swimming to the other side where the tree was.

Gabrielle leaned over to her wife, "don't you think this is enough punishment? She's only eleven."

"No way, Gabrielle. She deserves this. She's been lying to us the whole time. Who knows what else she's done behind our backs?"

"Okay but this is the last lap."

"Don't tell me you're going soft on me now," the commander teases her wife. The blonde governor glared up at her and she hated that look. It was the look that she rarely got and that meant their time in bed wasn't going to be pleasant. She walked over to the edge of the cold river. "Alright, Arielle you can get out now."

The princess spat out some water and inhaled sharply then climbed out of the water dressed only in her pants and a thin sleeveless blouse. Xena wrapped a blanket around her thin body and rubbed her arms. She then covered her granddaughter's hair and rubbed roughly to dry her locks.

She shivered and walked over to sit on a rock. "I hate Yeter."

"Oh you hate her, huh?" Gabrielle knelt down beside her. "It's not Yeter's fault that you were with Bayan. She caught you and that's your own fault. Now's your chance to tell us if you've done anything else with Bayan."

She stared at her in fear and looked up at her grandmother who was much scarier to look at. "Um, no nothing else."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Xena grabbed her shoulder firmly and she tensed. "Did he touch you?"

"Only my hand…" she says above whisper.

"He didn't touch you anywhere else?"

Arielle wagged her head.

"Did he kiss you?" she questioned and the princess lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Xena, stop with the third degree. You're scaring her."

"I'm just trying to be thorough!" she pinched her wife's arm and hugged her granddaughter. "Did he kiss you?"

Arielle thought about it for a moment, maybe a moment too long, but she stayed silent and shook her head again. She didn't want to get in trouble again and she didn't want Bayan to get in trouble either but he was probably already gone due to Ellac. He wasn't going to allow her to be around the boy anymore, which was depressing, but she couldn't let Bayan get beaten up by Csaba or anyone else.

"Alright, go to the baths and then to your room." She pushed the girl forward and Arielle wrapped the blanket around herself then trailed off to the bathhouse, shivering. "That child is going to give me grey hair."

"You said the same thing about Anastasia and she turned out fine and not a grey hair in sight," she searched her wife's raven hair.

* * *

Two weeks passed by and unfortunately for everyone, the queen's state did not change and even got worse as the days went on. The only good thing about this was that there was nothing going on in Pannonia and hadn't been for the last couple of months. Everyone in the family took turns watching her and keeping her company but there was one person who couldn't understand why she had such a horrible illness.

Xena lay in bed on her side, sobbing quietly to herself. All morning she was racking her brain to find out what could possibly make her daughter so ill. Gabrielle spent most of her morning with Kreka but after she had the meeting she came back to the yurt and found her wife exactly where she left her.

She half smiled and sat down in a chair beside the bed. "Xena, don't you want to come out of this room?" she fixed her wife's fringe bangs and saw the tear stains on her cheeks. "I'm worried about you."

"I…wish I could take her illness from her."

"Xena…" she rubbed her shoulder. "I know you would do anything for her."

"She's been sick for weeks, Gabrielle." she wiped her cheeks. "This isn't a regular sickness. I don't know what I would do if I lost her."

"She's not going to die. She needs you. Anastasia will get better, I promise."

Xena sat up for the first time in the last few hours. Her entire right side was numb and she rubbed her sweaty forehead. "I…want to check all of her food that is brought to her and the water too."

"You really think someone would poison her? Everyone eats the same food that she does."

"I just want to check." She got out of bed and grabbed her coat.

Gabrielle sighed deeply. "Xena, I don't think –"

"I just need to do this for my peace of mind!" she snapped and her wife turned away. "Just let me do this."

"Hey," she stood and her tall wife turned around. She kissed her softly and smiled. "I'll go with you."

* * *

Nisa sat with Cera within the queen's room beside her bed. Cera sat on her mother's bed and showed her everything she learned so far with Nisa's teaching. Anastasia's hooded eyes stared at her daughter as she signed several letters, forming small words. Cera finished signing her last word and gave a big smile.

Ana grinned weakly and nudged her daughter's cheek. Her lungs felt impacted and heavy as she breathed out through her mouth. "You...learned so much, Cera. I'm proud of you."

The princess tried to keep a happy face and signed a few words to her teacher to relay to her mother. Nisa nodded and spoke to the queen, "she wants to know if you're feeling better."

"Yeah…a lot better," she said and gripped her daughter's thin leg.

Cera signed once more and Nisa relayed the message, "she says…she doesn't believe you."

"Oh…" she grabbed her daughter's chin. "I'll get better, don't worry  _tatli kiz_." She tried to reassure her but Cera crinkled her nose and tears rolled down her cheeks. "Are you crying? Don't cry." She tried to sit up and breathed in heavily. She placed a hand over her heavy chest and resisted the pain. She sat up against the pillows and stretched out her arms.

The redheaded girl leaped forward and put her arms around her mother, sobbing into her chest. Ana kissed the top of her head and cradled the six year old in her lap. Csaba came into the room and Nisa got up from the chair to give them some room.

"Cera, mother needs to rest. Come on." He pried his little sister away and held her in his arms. She sniffled and rubbed her nose against his sleeve. "Mother, guess what Edemen did," he tried to lighten her mood.

She brought the blankets close to her and lounged on the pillows. "What did he do?"

"He started to crawl. Well, he tried to."

Ana nodded slowly. "That's great, Csaba. I…wish I could see him."

"You will when you get better," he grabbed her hand and kissed it gingerly. "Well, I'll leave you alone. I'll send grandma in later." he wrapped his palm around his sister's head and walked out with Nisa behind.

* * *

Xena stood in the kitchen beneath the palace and had all the female servants and cooks lined up in a row. They were in the middle of preparing a meal for dinner for the entire family and she ordered everyone to stand up against the wall. Gabrielle still felt like this was a bit overboard but if it was going to give her wife some peace then she went along with it.

"Show me all the water pitchers," she demanded and a young girl ran to the cupboard and pulled out a pitcher at a time and set four of them on the table. Xena walked over to the long table and looked into the water. "Drink it."

"Xena," her wife whispered.

"Quiet!" she hissed. "Drink out of every single pitcher."

The girl nervously grabbed a ladle and took a sip from each water pitcher and the piercing blue eyes glared at her with every sip she took. She set down the ladle and took a step back from the table. There seemed to be no effect on the girl so her next move was the wine.

"Take out all the wine that is served to everyone." She pointed to the barrels behind everyone. Each person poured out some wine from the spigots into glasses and without a demand; they sipped it slowly with their heads bowed. While all the women seemed nervous, one of the girls, rather young, was especially nervous which Xena kept her eye on that girl.

She walked around the kitchen and eyed the slaughtered lamb on one of the tables. She knew that Anastasia was unable to keep solids down for the last month so there was no way she was eating as heartily as everyone else.

"Who brings the queen her food?" she wiped her finger on the table and it was spotless surprisingly.

One of the young chefs spoke aloud, "Kreka Khatun does, commander."

"But who prepares it?"

The girl who seemed nervous raised her hand. Xena sauntered over to the girl and inspected her frantic eyes. She proceeded with the interrogation and it felt good as she hadn't interrogated anyone in a long time. "What kind of food do you make for the queen?"

"Grain, commander."

"Show me this grain."

The girl nodded and walked over to a door that leads into a narrow hallway where they kept all the grain, consisting of oats and rice. Xena stepped inside and glanced at the twenty pound bags that lined the walls. She opened a couple of bags and raised her eyebrow then turned to the girl with a bowed head.

"This is the same grain you feed everyone in the Adame?"

"Yes, commander."

Gabrielle was growing impatient and it was obvious nothing was happening the way that her wife wanted. "Xena, these girls aren't to blame here. Anastasia is just really sick."

"If she's so sick then why isn't everyone else just as sick as she is? She's been sick before with a fever and some other people got the same thing but not this time. She can't even breathe, Gabrielle!"

The girl backed away slowly and then tried to dart for the exit outside. Gabrielle ran over and pushed the other servants aside and tackled the servant to the floor and bent her arm backwards. "Why are you running, huh? Something to hide?" she spat in the girl's ear.

Xena pulled out her sword and the other servants gasped and cowered in fear. She walked over to the servant and Gabrielle lifted the girl's head and a sword was placed against her neck. "What have you been giving my daughter to make her so violently ill?"

Gabrielle forced all her weight on the lithe servant and twisted her arm. "Say it!"

"Arsenic!" she finally said and Gabrielle let go of her arm.

The commander grabbed the girl's arm and hoisted her up off the floor, holding the sword to her throat. "Why?"

"You're just going to kill me anyway."

"Wrong! I'm giving you to the king and he will kill you so might as well tell me why you did this. Who are you working for? Is it Justinian? Odoacer?"

Gabrielle came around and lifted the servant's chin. "You'll die anyway so tell us who you're working for."

"I am not working for the Romans." She eyed the blade beneath her nose and felt it slither against her flesh.

"But you are working for someone."

"I'm not!"

"So you just…poisoned the queen for no reason?" questioned the governor.

Xena had just about enough of the questioning and was a bit too eager to see this girl's head severed from her body. She pushed her towards the stairs and the girl struggled but was mindful of the sword. "Gabrielle, question the staff. I'm taking this piece of goat shit to Ellac."

* * *

At sunset the traitorous servant girl was hung by her ankles in front of everyone inside the inner circle of the encampment. Ernak tied her wrists together behind her back and he glared at her reddened face from being hung upside down for awhile now. He tightened the ropes and stepped away to join his brothers.

Xena stood behind Ellac with her arms folded and Arielle stood next to her, watching the woman struggle and wiggle her legs. The blood rushed to her head and Arielle grabbed her grandmother's coat and gave it a tug.

"What is Ellac going to do to her?"

"You'll see."

Arielle turned away when her stepfather was handed a sword by Dengizich. Xena grabbed her and spun her around. "I don't want to watch."

"You're going to watch, Arielle. You want to be queen, right? This is what you will have to do to someone when they betray you." she wrapped her arms around her and held her close. She knew that Arielle had never seen someone die before, at least not gruesomely before like this. She's had family members die but never saw the act behind it right before her eyes, not like she was about to witness at this moment.

Gabrielle walked down the stairs just barely missing the execution and she hated watching these. Each time was different but it all ended with someone losing a head. She nudged her wife's arm and Xena whipped her head around.

"I questioned the staff about the girl."

"And?"

"She wasn't working for Justinian or Odoacer. She was a new girl who came here a couple of months ago. She's from the Kidarite tribe."

Arielle heard that word and her mouth gaped in concern. Her grandmother pursed her mouth and eyed the servant girl refusing to be still and Ellac was busy sharpening his blade. "Looks like Bayan's brother will have a lot of explaining to do."

"But Bolgaris and Bayan had nothing to do with this girl…" Arielle said.

"You don't  _know_  that."

Ellac walked up to the Kidarite servant with his sharp blade and everyone watched silently in anticipation. He drew his sword backward and swung it at an angle right through her neck and decapitated the woman. Arielle's eyes widened as she saw the woman's head on the ground and blood spewing out from her loose sliced veins.

Gabrielle seemed unfazed by the execution and forced her brain to block out the gore displayed in front of the crowd. She learned awhile ago that the punishment Huns brought forth were never going to change and they sure knew how to execute someone. She then watched the soldiers cut the woman down and the body dropped onto the ground with a loud thud and they dragged her body away with her head in tow.

"Maybe we should have waited and told Ellac that she was a Kidarite," she whispered to her wife.

Before Xena could answer, Arielle wiggled out from beneath her arms and vomited in the grass a few feet away. "Just like her mother when she saw her first beheading," she joked and her blonde wife rolled her eyes. "What? She'll get used to it."

Gabrielle rushed over to the princess and rubbed her back gently. "That was a bit much for you, huh?"

Arielle nodded and wiped her mouth. "I'm not eating dinner tonight. I think…I'll just go to my room."

"Alright," she ruffled the girl's hair and turned to her wife with a menacing glare. "That was a low blow, Xena."

"She has to see an execution sooner or later. She wants to be queen so bad but she doesn't understand what that entails."

* * *

South of China but not quite into the Indus, the Sassan family and the rest of the misplaced Persians in the forgotten empire, lived together in the mountains. The Shah brothers, Hormizd and Peroz, gathered several weapons throughout many villages in the South of China and India. After they left their respected homes they traveled far from the Huns but apparently not far enough.

The Song were now allies with the Huns which was not good for the infamous Sassan family or what little was left of it. Peroz returned from pillaging a village along Mt. Everest and found his brother waiting with his arms folded, eyes slanted and a big frown on his face. The younger shah trotted closer to their camp which was surrounded with a mix of people now granted as Persians. Their previous culture ceased to exist.

"Brother, why the long face? I secured several more villages. They had a lot of gold we can trade for weapons."

Hormizd blinked slowly and snapped his fingers, ordering his brother dismount. "I don't care about the gold or the weapons, Peroz. We have a visitor."

"Oh, I love visitors. Who is this time? More Chinese rebels?" he chuckled and Emperor Justinian appeared from inside one of the tents and Peroz's laughter died down. "Justinian," he says flatly. "I wouldn't think you'd show your face after the letter we sent you."

The emperor walked ahead of Hormizd, coming face to face with the pale Persian. "I have an opportunity for you."

"This better not be a Hun invasion because my brother and I are already occupied with a plan to ransack the Nezak Huns."

"No, no. No Hun invasion. Not yet anyway." He cast a smile which worried Peroz. "What would you do if I could promise that you could live in your own land again?"

Peroz laughed heartily as did his elder brother. "That is an empty promise, emperor. Ellac, Anastasia and Khushnavaz took over our land long ago. We are barely getting by with the men we have now. We were able to conquer a few Chinese camps on the Indus."

"I can make your life easier, shah." He slapped his shoulder and Peroz clenched his jaw. "How 'bout I give you thirty thousand of my men so you can prepare yourselves for a takeover. You get men, weapons, food, money and your land back."

Hormizd liked the idea but knew his brother wasn't going to be one to change his tune so easily. His brother was more hot headed than him and sought war more as well. Peroz had a smug smile on his face while he was already to reject the offer that Justinian offered. Hormizd slowly unsheathed his sword and hid it behind his back. He approached the Byzantine and had his eye on his brother's back which was turned.

"I appreciate the offer Justinian but my brother and I don't want anything to do with your empire," said Peroz.

Hormizd stabbed his brother through the back and Justinian stepped back, stumbling into his soldiers who accompanied him. He gasped and Peroz looked down at the blade sticking out of his chest and his entire body quivered. Hormizd pulled the sword out of his brother and pushed him onto the ground face first.

Peroz choked and put both hands over the wound to try and stop the overflow of gushing blood. Justinian wiped his face with the backside of his hand and Hormizd walked over with a smile. He was tempted to have his men draw weapons but felt the need to stand strong and not pose any fear or intimidation.

"Power has its price." Hormizd dropped his sword and held out his hand. "Thirty thousand men you offered? Are you willing to give me forty?"

Justinian hesitantly shook the man's hand. "Forty is negotiable. Does that mean you are agreeing to my proposal?"

"Persians and Romans; making history together. I have tried to reach victory with Odoacer on my side but that failed. Please tell me that I won't call this alliance a failure either, emperor?"

"We will be an unstoppable team but I will have you make a small detour. Instead of attacking the Huns, would it be possible for you to work with my general to get rid of the Vandals first?" he asked with a malicious grin.

"Vandals are a bit out of my way. They are closer to you."

"Precisely  _but_  Persian tactics are formidable in battle. I would be honored if you deterred the Vandals for awhile. I hear they are causing a ruckus in Africa in the Berber tribes. Those poor Berbers are suffering. Surely you must feel their pain being outcast tribal nomads such as yourself?"

Hormizd raised his eyebrow, noting the man's slightly insulting words. He could be more up front and call him and his people barbarians like many did the Huns, but he took the easy way out. "You have some sort of connection with the Berbers?"

"No but they are  _defenseless_  against those savage Vandals. I know I can count on you to annihilate them."

* * *

Nearly a month later everyone gathered in the women's quarters, men included, for a big surprise for their queen's health returning. Csaba and Ellac held her hands while she was blindfolded and they guided her to the room where every family member stayed silent with the doors open.

Ana walked slowly and cling to her husband's and son's hands tightly. "What is going on?" she asked.

"Why do you have to ask so many questions, mother?" Csaba teased and his father smiled.

The three stopped and Anastasia frowned, looking around the room with her blindfold over her eyes. Ellac wiggled his fingers out of her palm and untied the cloth and exposed her to the many people surrounding her. Ana blinked and everyone grinned at her. She glanced at her two daughters, mother, and Gabrielle together in the front and everyone else standing around them.

"Wow!" she smiled and clapped her palms together. She noticed a spread of food on the floor and several bottles of wine. "What's all this for?"

"A party," explained Ellac. "Since you're better now, we decided to have a celebration for you."

"For me?" she eyed her husband curiously and he nodded. Cera ran over and hugged her legs. "You guys didn't have to do this for me."

Xena came over and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Sure we did. We should celebrate life, Anastasia. We're all here and we're glad you're here with us."

"Thanks," she squeezed her mother's hand then glanced over at Farah holding Edemen. After she paid attention to Cera and bent down to kiss the top of her head, she walked over slowly and held out her arms. She had been absent from his life for almost two months.

Farah handed her son off to her and Anastasia's eyes lit up. He chewed on his fingers and blinked his big green eyes up at her. "Ede, you're so big now! I missed you," she pulled his fingers out of his mouth and he squealed loudly.

Everyone sat down on the floor and Xena made it perfectly obvious that she wanted to sit next to her favorite person. Kreka slowly turned her head as she was serving Soran some rice. " _What_?" she hissed at the commander.

"Make any more of that dip?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Oh, did you enjoy that?" Kreka grinned and spooned the rice onto Soran's plate.

Gabrielle grabbed her wife's hand. "No throwing food, Xena," she whispered.

"I'll be on my best behavior."

"Then you won't mind if I take away all your eating utensils." Gabrielle smugly smiled and snatched the spoons and forks away from her wife.

"You're no fun."

Arielle said hello to her mother and Edemen then walked over to Yeter and Oran sitting together with Ebnedzar and Ursula. She sat right next to the Gokturk queen and folded her legs. "I just wanted to let you know that I don't like you," she whispered.

Yeter frowned. "Why? Because I caught you sneaking around with your boyfriend?"

"He's  _not_  my boyfriend." She muttered with a low growl. "I'll take your position away from you one day and then you won't be queen regent anymore. Just you wait."

Oran smirked. "Get out of here, squirt."

"My name is not squirt!" she yelled and heads turned then the room went silent. "What are you all looking at? God!" she got up and stormed over back to her spot in the large circle.

Yeter had her eyes on the queen holding Edemen and she smiled warmly. Everyone else seemed engrossed in conversation all except her and Oran who sat in silence much like they did every single day together. She didn't mind him being her husband, but at first she didn't want to be around him. Oran was different than Csaba and he liked to do the things he wanted when he wanted without consulting her unlike Csaba did with Farah.

She elbowed his side and he winced. "Oran," she began seriously and he sipped the wine, staring into her dark eyes. "I want a baby."

His eyes grew in shock. "You do?" he said a little too loudly and then whispered, "You do?"

"Yes I really do."

"This is great!" he yelled. "Hey everyone!" he tried to grab his family's attention.

She panicked, "Oran no! Don't!" she gripped his arm but it was too late. Every single pair of eyes was upon them now.

He ignored his wife's plea and wrapped an arm around her. She ducked down and hid beneath a hand over her brow. "Yeter and I are going to have a baby." He said with a big grin and everyone smiled. "I mean, not yet, but we will."

Arielle sighed. " _Great_ , more hybrid children in this family," she mumbled and her grandmother slapped her arm. "Quit hitting me!" she slapped her back and Gabrielle's food dropped off her spoon and her mouth gaped at the horrible move the princess just committed.

Xena glared at her granddaughter and smashed her cheeks together with a pinch of two fingers. Arielle tried to smile and now she regretted her impulsive reaction. "You think you're so  _tough_ , girl?"

"….no…?"

"Don't ever hit me again unless you know how to take a beating."

"Xena, she's a little girl." Gabrielle was quick to remind her.

"She won't be little forever. Isn't that right, Arielle?" she gave the princess a big eerie smile and the princess batted her eyelashes profusely.

**I tried to cover everything for the next chapter. More X/G action in upcoming chapters :)**


	37. Chapter 37

The Governor's Wife Part II: The Great War

Five Years Later

 

Gabrielle circled around the tall sixteen year old with determination in her eyes. She swung her fist forward and the princess blocked it with ease. Two punches turned to three and Arielle was getting irritated that she was being deduced to sparring with the governor instead of the commander. She held her arms in front of her face and kept her knees bent and low to the ground as she continued to block the blows given to her. She pushed the governor backward but Gabrielle recovered quickly.

Arielle wiped her sweaty brow and eyed her grandmother lounging on a bench with her boots propped up on a stack of campfire logs. She was busy sharpening a sword, one of her best swords that she often carried in battle with her. That sword never left her side. It must have been with her for over twenty years.

"When can I spar with  _you_?" she called out and Xena lifted her eyes.

"As soon as you can get passed Gabrielle, you can spar with me. Until then, enjoy. You're no longer my problem after today anyway."

Arielle groaned. "Why can't I go on this mission with you two?"

Gabrielle took the opportunity to backhand the princess in the face and Arielle fell backwards onto her back. She walked over and stood over the defeated princess. "We weren't finished here and you let your guard down."

"That was unfair! I wasn't ready!" she spat out a glob of blood and got to her feet and then Gabrielle knocked her off her feet. "Gabrielle!"

Xena stood up when she heard horses approaching and she set aside the sharpening stone. "See, you can't even get off the ground and you want to spar with  _me_?" she snickered and her granddaughter got up in a fit of rage and ran to attack her. She spun around and elbowed the teenager in her abdomen and then Arielle gasped for air.

"Go change and meet us at the Adame."

Arielle rubbed her aching stomach and glared at her brother arriving with his son and wife. "I don't see why Csaba can go with you on this mission but I can't."

"Because unlike  _you_ , I don't have to babysit him." She sneered and Arielle grabbed her coat and mean mugged her. "Oh, you must make that face more often," she teased and Arielle rolled her eyes and walked back to the Adame, cursing under her breath.

Gabrielle laughed and took the bandages off her knuckles. "I think I like this job better than being a governor. It's nice to take your anger out on someone especially since she sucks at fighting back."

"She wouldn't be so horrible if she would stop letting her anger get in the way." She knew this job training Arielle to become queen was going to be an incredible burden on her and she was right. She should have refused her daughter when she had the chance but at the time, she couldn't. "Do you have everything packed and ready to go for tomorrow?"

She went down the list, "water, food, weapons, horses, yes I think I got everything; everything except Csaba." She grinned and watched the prince turned king ride towards his ancestral home with his son, Edemen, sitting on the saddle behind him. Farah trotted slowly behind them and Gabrielle waved her hand at the little prince.

Edemen grinned and waved back at her and Csaba looked over his shoulder as his son was about to jump off the saddle to go greet them. He whispered to his anxious son sternly and pinched his leg. Edemen faced forward and kept his mouth shut but smiled at Xena and Gabrielle and gave them a small wave.

"He's so cute," admired Gabrielle.

"Focus, Gabrielle. We have a mission to pay attention to." she shoved a sword into her wife's chest. "Put that on my horse, would you?" she nonchalantly said and walked over to their yurt to grab a few things.

Gabrielle fumbled with the sword and snarled. "Why don't you put  _your_  sword on  _your_  horse?!"

"Because I asked you nicely," she winked and pulled out the gifts that she and Gabrielle picked out for Edemen. "You should really change. What's with the dawdling?" she kept poking fun and her wife sheathed the sword as told.

"I'm getting real tired of your sarcasm, Xena."

"You love me anyway."

"I'm starting to see where Arielle gets her attitude from. She's like a mini version of you." she poked her wife in the chest harshly. "I pity the man that will marry her one day. She's going to give him one hell of a time." She flicked her wife's nose and waltzed into the yurt to change.

Xena frowned and gripped the box in her hands. "What is that supposed to mean?!" she called out and heard the governor humming. "Gabrielle?"

* * *

Edemen walked quickly up the stairs and pulled his mother along, anxious to see everyone. It had been half a year since he was in Pannonia and while he enjoyed living at home in Banat, it could get lonely sometimes in a huge palace all to himself.

"Mom, come on!" he yelled and she caught up with him.

"What's the hurry? Nobody's going anywhere." Farah said and finally made up the stairs, a bit out of breath. Csaba slung both the bags over his shoulders and ran up the staircase with ease and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Are you feeling alright?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. I really wish you would have let me and Ede stay home. Your mother is going to be all over me. We didn't even tell her."

He kissed her cheek. "It's better that Edemen is around his cousins so he won't be bored. It will give you a break. Besides, I had to come here so I can leave with my grandma and Gabrielle." he got an expressionless look from her. "I'll talk to my mother and see if she can be less annoying this time but I can't promise anything."

Arielle ran up behind her brother and jumped onto his back and wrapped her legs around his waist. Csaba groaned and felt like he was going to fall over with all the weight on his shoulders and back. Farah smirked and took one of the bags off his shoulders and handed it to one of the servants.

"You should convince grandma to let me come with you guys," she told him.

"I will not. Get off me!" he growled and she jumped off and leaned her elbow on his shoulder.

Her eyes were now set on her pregnant sister in law and she cast a mischievous grin which Farah was not fond of. "Can't wait to see the look on my mother's face when she gets a load of you."

Farah swallowed her anger and smiled. "It's so nice to see you again, Arielle."

Edemen waved his hand to grab his aunt's attention. "Arielle!" he yelled and the princess knelt down. "I been practicing with my bow you gave me."

"Really? I'd love to see you shoot sometime," she slapped his arm gently. The more she looked at her nephew the more of Farah she saw in him. He had her eyes, perfect skin and silky dark full hair. He looked nothing like Csaba. "So, what do you want? A sister or brother?"

"A brother," he said with a firm nod.

"Ah come on, sisters are fun too," she playfully said and heard her brother snort.

"Nah, brothers are way better."

"I have two of them and they can be a pain," she winked up at Csaba. She picked up her nephew and placed him on her shoulders. "Come on I'll take you to see your grandmother."

He cheered and they trailed up the long staircase. Farah turned her husband angrily, "I don't like it that your sister gave our son a bow. He keeps shooting arrows at my sister!"

Xena and Gabrielle came into the Adame, arguing in hushed voices and stopped when they were met with Csaba and Farah in the foyer. Gabrielle snatched the gift from her wife's hands. "We brought a gift for Edemen," she said and Farah turned around and smiled.

Both of their jaws dropped at the noticeably pregnant queen and Xena forced a smile. "Oh Csaba…" she began and clasped his shoulder, "your mother is going to kill you," she says tersely.

"I know. I probably should have written to her but I got really busy and –"

" _Csaba_!" Anastasia yelled from upstairs and he cringed at her voice. He backed away into his grandmother and wanted to make a break for it. She ran out and leaned against the balustrade and frowned down at her son. "What's this I hear about you having a baby?"

Arielle appeared beside their mother and she had a smug grin on her face. Csaba glared at her with narrowed eyes and then softened his face towards his mother.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Anastasia yelled from above.

"I…I'm sorry mother," he lamented. "Save me," he whispered to his grandmother.

Xena smiled smugly and saw the look on her daughter's face. That was what she expected the first time around but this was much better and more of what she was looking for. "Yeah, Csaba, what's wrong with you?" she pushed him forward and he gasped at her betrayal.

Gabrielle was starting to feel sorry for the young king and he grabbed his arm. "You know, Anastasia, as much as you'd love to catch up, your mother and I really need to talk to him about this mission." He pulled him away quickly and led him into the conference room.

* * *

The three sat on the floor with a huge map in the center of their small circle. Xena pointed to the said location and told her wife and grandson, "We're going to the mountains in Persia to spy on Hormizd. Ellac told me that he saw Byzantine ships sailing across the Black Sea into old Persia."

He nodded. "We're taking a small entourage I'm guessing?"

Gabrielle pointed to the secure location in the mountains which had been marked up with pen thanks to Ana. "Navaz is going to meet us there. He said that a few Sabir women were kidnapped and he thinks the kidnappers were Persian."

"I can't believe he lets those Sabirs stay in Balaam," he got sidetracked and both women raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, so Navaz is meeting us there. What happens next? Are we going to attack the Persians?"

"No, that's where you come in. You're going to go down into their camp and see if you can find anything useful to us."

He scoffed. "Gabrielle, you can't be serious? Those Persian pricks know who I am!"

"You'll be wearing a disguise. Neither I nor Xena can go in the camp. We'll be spotted instantly. The last time they saw you, you were a boy. You don't have to stay long: just long enough to get some information."

Xena agreed and gripped her grandson's knee. "It'd be great if you could get up close to Hormizd."

"You're both insane."

"Your mother doesn't pay me to play it safe, Csaba."

He contorted his face in confusion. "Mother  _pays_  you to come up with these diabolical plans?!"

"I don't work for free. So, here's what you're gonna do. You're going to go in the camp as soon as we spot Hormizd. Get as close as possible and see if you can listen to his conversations with the viziers then if you get anything you come back to our safe location and tell us. Got it?"

"I'm regretting ever volunteering myself for this mission."

Gabrielle slapped a hand on his back. "That's the spirit!"

"You two are starting to scare me. Listen, I don't know if I should do this. I don't want to risk being caught and possibly killed by the shah."

"Csaba, Csaba, Csaba…" Xena teetered with his emotions. "Everything's going to be fine so as long as you stick to the plan. We won't let anything happen to you. Gabrielle and I will be on standby and Navaz will have his men."

He rubbed his forehead. "Damn. This is going to be the dumbest thing I've done all year." He got up off the floor and grabbed his robe.

"No, the dumbest thing you've done is not telling your mother about the baby."

"I was going to…" he laughed nervously. "Eventually." He sighed. "You're both welcome to the serata in a few months." He explained and both of them kept their glares on full blast. "I'll go pack for tomorrow morning." He bowed his head in shame and walked away.

Once he was out of the room she and Gabrielle burst into laughter. "Did you see his face?" said Gabrielle. "You're giving him a hard time. Lay off him."

"He makes it so easy!"

* * *

The following morning Arielle was circling around the governor giving her a real hard time while packing for the trip to Persia. "Can I come?"

Gabrielle fastened the stirrups on the horse and adjusted the saddle. "No, for the last time you can't come."

"Why the hell not!" she stomped her foot and Gabrielle shook her head, mumbling inaudible words. "It will look really good on my resume to be queen," she hinted. "Ah come on Gabrielle I'll do everything you and grandma say. I'll be on my best behavior."

Xena came out of the yurt carrying coats and threw them on her horse. "Arielle, go home and study the packets your father gave you. Pirro and Ditron will help you with combat as usual while we're gone."

"This is so stupid. When do I get to go in the field with you guys? All I get to do is study and spar with Gabrielle."

"And you're not good at either one of those," the commander mounted her horse and smiled at her infuriated granddaughter. "Go home Arielle." She kicked the horse and rode towards the gates at the front entrance where Csaba was waiting for her.

Gabrielle jumped on her horse and smiled faintly at the princess. "Maybe if you pass your test in a couple of months you can come on the next mission."

Arielle longed to go on a mission even if it was just to Dalmatia, but she was ordered by every single person in her family to stay in Pannonia. She could only go to Balaam and Banat. Anywhere else, she'd have to get permission and the answer was always no. She began to think that she'd never leave Pannonia and she'd rot here until she was old enough to leave.

She walked back to her home and Marina, her blonde Thracian friend ran up and wrapped an arm around her. "Arielle, we're going to take a day trip to the Black Sea. Do you want to come?"

"I'm not allowed to leave, remember?"

Marina nodded. "Oh yeah." She pulled out a letter and waved it in her friend's face. Arielle's eyes widened and she tried to snatch it away. "I'll give this to you if you promise to ask your mother if you can come swimming with us."

"Give it to me!"

"Promise!"

Arielle relented, "fine, I promise now give that to me!" she grabbed the letter and ripped it open and read over it with a big smile. She caught Marina sneaking a peek at her letter and she held it against her chest. "Do you mind?"

"Bayan again? You know, I'm not going to be your little messenger forever. So, what did he say? Is he coming to see you?"

"None of your business." She tucked the letter in her robe pocket and Marina poked her arm. "I'm not telling you anything," she kept walking with a smile plastered on her face.

The blonde Thracian gasped and walked ahead of the princess. "You're going to have sex with him aren't you?"

"No!" she covered her mouth and looked around. "We haven't done that yet and keep your voice down."

"But you want to," Marina whispered.

"Excuse me but I have a lot of studying to do." She kept walking with a bit of skip in her step.

"Don't forget to ask your mother!"

* * *

Farah sat down in the women's quarters and instantly wanted to go back home. Not only was she being babied by her mother in law but also by the khatun. She didn't mind the attention when she was nineteen but now at twenty four, she was simply annoyed by everyone and everything. The only thing she was grateful for was that Edemen was able to play with Ernak's son, Kurt so he was bothering her every second of the day like he did in Banat.

After the women made her stuff her face, she shifted on the couch uncomfortably and couldn't find a comfortable position to relax in. She huffed and crossed a leg over the other and leaned her elbow on the armrest of the couch and stared at her son playing with Kurt in the corner of the room with wooden swords.

Edemen ran over with his wooden sword. "Mom, are you watching? I almost broke Kurt's sword!"

"Yes, I saw. Just be careful," she advised and he nodded then sat on the couch beside him with his small legs hanging over the edge. "Are you having a good time?" she asked.

"Yeah!" he raised the sword in the air excitedly.

Arielle hurried into the room looking for her mother. She tried the bedroom first and conference room but knew she'd find her here somewhere. Anywhere Farah was her mother would be there. Edemen smiled at his aunt and hopped off the couch and blocked her way.

"Hey, Arielle look at my sword!"

She half smiled. "Very nice. Excuse me."

"Don't you wanna see me use it?"

"Show me later." she ruffled his hair and he frowned and fixed his hair quickly. "Mother," she approached her by the tea table standing with Kreka. "Marina, Rose and some of our other friends want to go to the Black Sea. Can I go?"

Anastasia stirred the tea with a spoon and stared intensely at her daughter to see if she was lying or not. "Shouldn't you be studying?"

"I'll study real hard. Promise." Arielle smiled, showing her pearly whites.

Ana raised her eyebrow and set the spoon on the table. "You can go."

This came to a shock to the princess. "Really? You're letting me go?"

"Should I not?"

"No, no! I want to go." She wasn't going to argue while her mother was in a good mood, probably due to Farah and Edemen. She hadn't left Pannonia in so long and she wasn't going to pass this up even if the sea was only a couple days ride away. "Thanks." She kissed her mother's cheek and ran out of the room.

Ana touched her cheek and cringed. Kreka walked over and tapped the spoon on the glass rim. "Did she just kiss me?" she muttered in disbelief.

"You're actually letting her go unsupervised?"

"All her friends are girls. I don't have to worry about anything."

Kreka pursed her mouth and burst the queen's bubble. "But it's summer, Anastasia. Plenty of boys from Pannonia and other areas go to the Black Sea this time of year."

Ana's heart sank and she sipped the hot tea. "I'll send Pirro and Ditron with her then. Problem solved."

* * *

Up in the mountains after a two week trek, they were all hidden in an alcove with Navaz waiting a few days before they arrived. Csaba took the scarf off his neck and forgotten how old these mountains could be even in the summer time. He crouched down and they could see the entire Persian camp right in the center of Susa, their previous capital.

Xena lifted her headdress above her eyebrows a smidge and took off her gloves. "What did we miss?"

Navaz looked over at Hormizd walking around the camp. "Nothing really but I haven't seen Peroz anywhere. I did see a few of Justinian's men but not many. He must be hiding them."

"Or Ellac was wrong about the ships sailing across the Black Sea," alleged Gabrielle and got a look of disbelief from her wife. "I'm just saying. This is so weird, us spying on them. We never do this. It's always dive in and fight everyone!" she clenched her fists.

Xena slapped her shoulder. "Shut up, Gabrielle. We just want to find out what he's up to. If Justinian is working with the Persians then we have a problem. How long have they been here?" she asked the king.

"I can't say for sure. Nobody lives in Persia anymore except for a few nomads."

"Right. Csaba, are you ready?"

He groaned and lined his light eyes with black kohl to make him seem more Persian-like. He tossed the small mirror back into Gabrielle's saddlebag and tied a black turban around his head. "I hate you both. I regret this." He put the scarf back on to cover the lower half of his face and made sure he had the same black flowing robes like the Persians and slid down the rocky path and jumped down on a cliff and walked the rest of the way.

Navaz whispered to the governor, "how is Arielle?"

She nervously smiled and kept her eyes on the Persians. "She's acting like her normal self."

"She's such a brat," he growled.

"Got that right," mumbled Xena. "Hey do you two notice something strange about this camp?"

Gabrielle leaned forward on a rock and looked around at Persians conversing and hauling wood, weapons and food supplies across the field. "No?" she felt like she was missing something, but couldn't place her finger on it.

"There are no women here."

"You're right. I wonder where they're keeping them. Maybe they're inside the tents."

Navaz shook his head. "I've been sitting here for three days and I haven't seen any women come out of the tents. They must be back at another camp not far from here."

Gabrielle moved to the other side of the alcove and saw riders come into the camp. She climbed further down the rocks to get a closer look and saw the symbol embossed on the horses' hindquarters and snapped her fingers, careful not to let her voice carry. The commander crouched down and walked over to a very dangerous area of the alcove. She set her hand on the wall and held onto a rock and covered her face with the kozak veil.

The riders unveiled their faces and took off their fur headpieces and looked around for anyone watching them. Gabrielle ducked her head down and peeked over the edge of the cliff and her eyes widened. Her arm reached behind her and she slapped her wife's knee.

"Bolgaris and Bayan!" she hissed.

"God dammit," Xena whispered and crawled back up to their spot where Navaz waited. "The Kidarite brothers are here. I knew there was something wrong with them."

He sighed. "They are our people yet they betray us and go to the Persians."

Gabrielle climbed back up and crawled on her hands and knees, continuing to watch the Kidarites being questioned by Persian viziers. "I can't believe they're here. Maybe they're here to ask for a peace treaty. It doesn't look like they are very friendly with the viziers."

"But they're still here. They should have consulted Ellac first." Xena gripped her knee anxiously and the brothers were able to pass and trot into the camp. She kept her eye on Csaba wandering through the field, trying to get as close to Hormizd as possible. "This plan could either go one or two ways."

"And which way is that?" Gabrielle breathed heavily, not used to the high altitude.

"Bloodshed or we ride back in one piece."

* * *

Csaba was careful not to talk to anyone and so far he hadn't gotten any strange looks from the soldiers since he was dressed in all black just as they were. He saw Hormizd talking with a vizier and made a point to get very close. He took in a deep breath and walked a few meters away and would get closer once the shah was distracted.

Hormizd turned to his vizier, "did you make arrangements for our ambassadors to go to Pannonia?"

Karenid Vizier nodded. "They should be arriving with a week or so. If I must say so, shah, I don't think it's wise to send our people into Hunnic lands."

"They come in peace, Karenid. I made sure to tell them that they aren't there to cause chaos. I want to see if I can work out a peace deal with the Huns first before I attack them."

Csaba's eyes widened when he heard a few words from the shah's conversation. He decided to approach and stood a few feet behind Hormizd. To blend in with the rest of the soldiers he grabbed a javelin leaning against a tent and began toying with it as if he was actually doing something. A soldier passed by him and stared into his eyes for a few moments and continued on his way.

The shah and his vizier moved along in the camp and Csaba leaned the javelin back where it was and followed them, bumping into a few soldiers.

King Bolgaris waved his hand from afar. "Shah Hormizd!" he called out.

Csaba turned around and panicked at the sight of the Kidarite brothers. "Fuck," he slipped away and hastily went behind a tent. Bayan accompanied his elder king brother and searched the area for any possible attacks. He had his hand on the hilt of his sword and of course, his infamous bow was strapped to his back.

Hormizd folded his arms and was not impressed to find Hun filth in his homeland. "I hope you're not here to negotiate a peace treaty with me, Kidarite king."

"No. We share part of Persia with you. I want a cut in your treasury."

"Ha, a cut? You do realize that our treasury is half Justinian's. What would your Hun brothers say about that? They have such distaste for the Byzantine emperor. I don't do deals with Huns. I've done it before and it never went in my favor. The king and queen took my land from me and my family."

Bolgaris nodded. "I understand but I don't want to move my tribe. I want to stay in lower Persia as long as we can have our own laws and keep our religion."

Bayan turned around and spotted someone peeking out from behind a tent. Csaba held his breath and slithered along the backside of the tent and heard boots approaching. He ran to the next tent and hid behind the far side of the wall.

* * *

Xena followed her grandson weaving around the tents and saw Bayan searching behind each one he passed by. "Csaba needs to get out of there before Bayan catches him."

Gabrielle was on the edge of her seat as she watched the two play a game of cat and mouse. Csaba went into the animal pin and weaved through the horses and jumped over the pin. She saw Bayan slowly retract his steps once he couldn't find anything.

"Bayan is leaving," she said with relief. "He's going to have to bypass them to get to us," she spoke of Csaba.

Xena crinkled her nose and watched Csaba make his way around the camp with mud all over his boots that were tracking his every step. "Ah no, Csaba. Don't be stupid," she muttered. He walked over to a bucket of water and poured it all over his boots to get rid of the excess mud. "Good boy," she said with a smile.

"I've changed my mind. I no longer think spying is fun. This is very unsettling. We're going to have to wait here until Csaba is able to pass through the entrance of the camp," Gabrielle whispered to her wife.

"We'll wait here all night if we have to."

* * *

At sundown when the Kidarite brothers left the camp Csaba was finally able to return the hiding spot. He climbed the mountain and ripped the turban off his head and shook out his hair. "Fuck this entire mission!" he grabbed his wine skin filled with water and doused his face in it and wiped the black kohl off his eyes.

"Fuck the Kidarites. Fuck the Persians."

"Wow." Gabrielle nods her head slowly listening to the young king curse up a storm.

"Bayan almost caught me! I could have died!" he yelled at the three and Xena licked her lips.

"What did you find out?"

"Straight to business huh?" he was annoyed with her especially since she put him in this position. "Fine." He threw the wine skin down and wiped his face with his sleeve. "Bolgaris wants a share of Hormizd's treasury which is actually Justinian's. Hormizd also sent two 'ambassadors' to Pannonia to strike a deal with us first."

Gabrielle sighed and turned to her wife. "He's definitely going to attack us now."

"Who are the ambassadors?" the commander asked.

"I don't fucking know." Csaba groaned and grabbed the turban and wine skin. "Are we leaving now? I'd like to go back to my wife and son if you don't mind. Persians make me want to vomit." He trailed down the mountain by himself. "Damn god forsaken place."

Navaz blinked at the Banat king's obscene language. Once Csaba was a boy to him and his stepson at one point and now he barely recognized the boy. "Who pissed in his water?"

"We should get going," advised Xena. She gathered up her things and passed them onto her wife.

Gabrielle gasped. "These are your supplies. You carry them."

"No." she smiled and tread down the side of the mountain. "I mean, you're so much better at handling the supplies, Gabrielle. That's why I want you to be in charge of them."

"Uh huh."

* * *

Walking through the forest heading towards the beach, Rose huffed and bumped Arielle's shoulder. "Why do your uncles have to come with us?"

"It was the only way my mother would let me go. Don't worry about them; it'll be like they're not even here." She smiled and looked over her shoulder at her uncles who were just as unhappy as she was that they had to come to the Black Sea.

Arielle, Rose, Marina and two tag-along friends, Juno and Gia arrived on the beach and dropped their bags. Arielle out of all her friends felt more out of place in her dark clothing, boots and beaded headdress. They dressed more like Grecians while she stuck out like a sore thumb. All of the girls began stripping of their dresses and were now just in really short skirts that exposed their entire legs and a cloth brassiere they wore under their clothing.

Rose smirked at the frozen princess. "Aren't you going to change?"

She nodded and eyed her uncles who sat on the ground far away but not too far. They were too busy playing a game to be bothered by a bunch of teenagers. Arielle looked around at the beach filled with several people her age and they were all wearing the same thing as her friends –practically nothing. Some of the girls were even wearing a sheer dress that did nothing to hide their breasts.

She took off her headdress and set it on her bag and slipped off her boots and pants. All was left was her tunic and she slipped that off as well. Gia snickered and folded her arms, admiring Arielle's knee length underpants that she wore beneath her longer pants, and her loose bodice that covered her arms and was up to her neck.

"You're not going to wear  _that_  in the water, are you?"

Arielle looked down at herself and now she really felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb. She was wearing all black and almost covered from head to toe. "I don't have anything else to wear."

"You have a brassiere on. Just wear that," she gently nudged the princess' arm.

She sighed and looked around her once more at all the teenagers. The Black Sea was a bridge between the Byzantine Empire and Hun Empire, but mostly it was used by young travelers in the summers. She had only been to the Danube River in Pannonia and had never laid her eyes on a beach before but now she wished she never came.

Marina walked over to the frazzled and confused friend of hers. "Arielle, you have an amazing body. Just take off your clothes. Nobody cares what you're wearing here."

"Um," she ran her fingers through her loose curls. "I'll just wear this."

"Alright…" Marina smiled and squeezed her arm.

A couple of tan, light haired teenage boys ran over to the gaggle of girls and smiled at them all. "Do you girls want to play discus with us?" one of them asked.

Rose spoke for everyone. "Sure."

"Where are you girls from? We've never seen you around here before. My name is Alexio and this is Cyrus."

"Oh you're Greek boys," Rose admired, recognizing the names. "I'm Rose and this is Gia, Juno and Marina. We're from Thrace."

Alexio smiled, happy to meet them all and eyed Arielle standing behind them with her arms folded and staring at the sea. "Who's tall, dark and dreary?"

Marina turned, "that's Arielle." She grabbed her hand and forced her to join the group. The boys' eyes widened when they saw her face and pale blue eyes.

"Are you from Thrace too, Arielle?" Cyrus asked.

"Pannonia," she answered in a monotone.

Alexio eyed his friend nervously. "You're a Hun." He stated and she nodded. "So, are the Huns as savage as everyone says?" he joked and elbowed Cyrus who was also chuckling.

"My people aren't savages!" she yelled.

"Whoa, okay," Alexio put up his hands. "Just don't decapitate me," he continued to tease her.

Arielle turned around grabbed her clothes in the sand and marched up to her uncles who were leaning up against a tree playing a card game. "I want to go home."

Pirro frowned. "Huh? We just got here."

Marina folded her arms and scowled at the Greek boys. "That was rude of you two."

"We happen to live with the Huns," said Rose. "And you just insulted their princess."

The two boys' faces paled. "She's not going to come and kill us is she?" asked Cyrus.

* * *

Dengi was in charge of watching the borders and tonight had to be the worst possible to have this job. It was pouring and had been for the last two days. He heard horses in the distance and raised his lit torch in the air to see the riders. Two people arrived at the gates and trotted over and got a good look at a man and someone behind him with a cloak hiding the face.

"State your purpose."

"We're ambassadors of the Sassan family. We wish to have an audience with the king and queen. We are unarmed." He raised his hands as did the cloaked person behind him on a different horse.

Dengi frowned and opened the gates and blocked their path with his horse. "Hand over your saddlebags."

"I said we were unarmed."

"Badr, get the bags." Dengi ordered and the soldier walked over and ripped the bags off the horses and tossed them over to another soldier to inspect them. Dengi waited patiently in the pouring rain and the soldier nodded and walked over with the bags.

"I told you. You Huns are very suspicious."

Dengi nodded. "Forgive me. We don't exactly have the best relationship with the Sassan family. Right this way." He held up the torch and rode towards the Adame. The two Persians followed him in the dark while all the soldiers gawked at them.

They arrived in the foyer and Dengi flipped the soaked hood off his head. He whistled at Ernak who was in charge of guarding the entrance of the Adame. He ran over and stared oddly at their strange guests. "Wait here," he told the Persians and walked up the stairs.

Ernak stood in front of the Persian ambassadors, especially the hooded one. "Who's your other half?"

"My wife," the man answered and Ernak nodded in silence. "Are you a Hun prince?"

"One of them."

Ellac and Anastasia descended down the stairs with Dengi behind them. They came down and approached the mysterious Persians cautiously. They halted in front of them and both ambassadors bowed their heads. Ellac frowned at the man and his hooded wife.

"Welcome to Pannonia. It's been quite some time since we've had Sassans in our home."

The man smiled, "yes, I'm aware. We were sent by our cousin, Hormizd. My name is Balash and this is my wife." He presented her and she stepped forward and slowly pulled back the hood and smiled at the monarchs.

Ana's eyes grew, recognizing the woman. "Erzibet," she blurted out and Ernak and Dengi shared a worried look.

"Nice to see you again, your majesty," Erzibet greeted sweetly.

"What brings you here?"

Balash spoke for the both of them, "we were hoping that we could discuss that in private."

Ellac looked at his wife and she gave a firm curt nod. "This way," he bowed his head and gestured for them to follow him to the conference room. Erzibet passed by Ana and kept smiling at her as she trailed behind her husband who was also her cousin.

As soon as they left Ernak slapped his forehead. "That was the girl Csaba was going to marry?!" he gasped. "Wow, I've never seen her face before. Why did he pass that up?" he remarked on her beauty and Ana gave him a dirty look. "I mean, Farah is drop dead gorgeous, but still. She isn't bad looking either."

"Farah cannot know that she is here." She explained to the princes. "Don't mention anything to her."

As bright and sunny as the Black Sea was, Pannonia was drenched in rain and it seems like Arielle brought the cloud with her. She marched into the foyer, drenched from head to toe with her uncles. Anastasia wasn't expecting her back so soon from her trip.

"Arielle, you're back early."

The princess bypassed her mother and walked up the stairs to her room which used to belong to her brother and Farah, but since they moved out four years ago, the room was now hers. Anastasia walked over to the staircase concerned for her daughter.

"Arielle?"

She paused in the middle of the stairs. "What?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine mother. I just want to be alone." She ran up the stairs and waltzed to her room and slammed the door.

Ernak left out a hefty sigh. "Teenagers." He said and his brother slapped his head. "She reminds me of you, Ana! My sweet Ana…" he gripped her shoulders.

"Should I go talk to her?"

"Definitely not," Dengi said.

* * *

Four day's ride away from Pannonia and Xena had the bright idea of stopping by the Persian side of the Black Sea to inspect. Csaba wanted to go back home and complained the entire time. He opted to watch the horses while she and Gabrielle walked along the beach towards the docks.

"Remind again why we're here?" Gabrielle inquired.

"I just want to see how many ships come through here. It'll only take a few minutes." Xena walked over to a merchant who just brought in a ship and by the looks of it, it wasn't a Persian ship. "Excuse me," she leaned on a post, startling the merchant. She began with a sly grin, "is this your ship?"

"Yes ma'am."

"You look like you know what's going on around here. Do you know how many ships come in out of these docks? Say…daily? Weekly? Monthly?"

He frowned and looked at her attire and immediately did not trust her or her questions. "I'm not sure."

"Oh but I think you are sure. I'm not going to ask again. How many ships come through here on a daily basis?"

He backed away slowly and eyed the sword at her hip. "HUNS!" he yelled and all the merchants manning their ships panicked and grabbed weapons from inside the ships and jumped onto the deck. Xena looked around and she pulled out her sword and Gabrielle did the same. They were back to back and surrounded dozens of men.

"Great plan, Xena," she griped.

Csaba stood up and looked over the hill onto the beach and growled. "God dammit, grandma." He unwrapped his horse reins from the tree and got on it in a hurry and rode down towards the beach.

He rode into the crowd of people and sliced through a few men with his blade. Xena and Gabrielle turned around and while the merchants were distracted, Xena growled and kicked two of them and this time she wasn't worried about Gabrielle's life, but more for her own. She stabbed one of the men in the chest and clocked another in the jaw and kicked behind her, knocking down another two.

Gabrielle ran to the ships and cut the rope that tied down the ship to the docks and one of the men screamed behind, charging right for her. She ducked and grabbed his legs and flipped him over her back and into the water. She spun around and eyed Xena surrounded by six men and getting punched in the face and her ribs.

Her eyes darted to Csaba who was handling a few men on his own but others grabbed onto his horse. She panicked, not sure who to save and what to do. She looked above her at the sails on another ship and ran up the ramp, which was a poor idea. There were several Vandal soldiers on the ship, dressed in silver armor and horned headdresses.

She gasped and they all charged at her and she shimmied up the main mast and one of the Vandals grabbed her leg. She kicked him in the face and continued climbing. She reached the balcony and took a huge swing to the sail and then held onto it for dear life as it toppled over on the ship and landed on all the men attacking Csaba and Xena.

She fell onto the deck and got to her feet and grabbed Xena's hand out of a pile of men and they ran to Csaba who was waiting.

"Come on!" he yelled, waving his sword in the air. They hopped onto his horse and he steered round then rode up the rocky hills to the other horses waiting for them.

Xena hopped off her grandson's horse and hobbled over to her own and untied the reins from the tree trunk. The men underneath the sail were beginning to emerge. She winced and pressed her hand against her ribs. Probably a few broken, she thought

"What the fuck was that?" he questioned his crazy grandmother.

"I didn't know it was going to turn out like that!"

"You walked right into a trap!"

"Oh thank you,  _your majesty_." She mounted the horse. "Let's get lost before they come after us."

Gabrielle rubbed her back and felt like she dislocated something landing that hard on the wooden deck. "Xena, there are Vandals on that ship."

"Justinian, what sick plan are you cooking?" she wondered aloud.

"Excuse me, can we leave now?!" Csaba urged and many of the men were running along the beach, threatening to climb the hill.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38 – _The Raid_

Farah tried to side step the queen and pass through the doors. She was stuck in the women's room for hours now and she was getting tired of being secluded in the room. Not even her son was in the room with her and neither were the other children.

"Anastasia," she began calmly as possible, "I want to go to my room."

Ana shook her head and spread her arms across the large wooden doors. "You can't." for reasons she couldn't explain, Erzibet was still in the Adame and she was overstaying her welcome on purpose. Ellac told her and Balash they could stay as long as they could especially since the weather here hadn't been up to par for the last week.

"I am very tired," Farah pleaded. "I want to take a nap so if you would just let me pass…"

"You can sleep in here. There are a few beds in the back of the room." Ana smiled and Farah sighed heavily.

"Anastasia, please. I want to go to my room. I don't know why you keep locking me in here. If this is about Csaba and me not telling you about the baby, I'm sorry."

If it were only that simple, the queen thought. The drums sounded outside and Farah turned around towards the window and walked over to see her husband arriving with the others. As much as she loved Csaba's family she was already sick of them, especially his mother who never seemed to leave her alone especially this last week.

"I want to see Csaba. He's here. Step aside," she waved her hand and Ana shook her head refusing to move. "Get out of my way!" she shoved the queen against the doors.

"I'm not going to lay a hand on you, Farah. It's best that you stay here. I'll bring Csaba to you."

* * *

Arielle ran downstairs and approached her grandmother and Gabrielle who were waiting in the foyer and completely drenched. "So, how was it? Did you kill any Persians? Did they attack you?"

Xena frowned. "No, we were almost goat meat for a ship full of Vandals."

"Yeah no thanks to you," griped the governor. "I think I pulled something."

"I didn't know there was going to be an ambush."

"Then you're really losing your touch, aren't you?"

Arielle listened to the two women argue and smiled grandly. "Wow. I want to come on the next mission. Can I?"

"Arielle, seriously? Where's your mother? We need to talk to her." The commander pinched her ribs and winced.

"She's probably hoarding Farah all to herself again. She keeps her locked in the women's quarters for most of the day," she folded her arms and Csaba turned to the long corridor that led to the room and marched in that direction. His wet boots left muddy imprints all over the finished wood floors and a maid groaned as he passed by. She'd been polishing the floor all morning and now all her hard work was for nothing.

He knocked on the door. "Mother, do you have Farah in there?" he asked and waited patiently. He heard the door unlock from the other side and Farah walked out, furious and breathing heavily. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly and glared at his mother.

"She's been keeping me in that room for a week! She wouldn't let me out!"

"Mother!" he reprimanded.

Anastasia stepped outside with a sheepish grin. "I have a very good reason for this."

"I'd like to hear it. My wife isn't your pet, mother. What is wrong with you?"

"Csaba, you don't understand. I had to do this!"

Erzibet spotted Csaba and smiled. He was with her mother and another woman. She raised her eyebrow suspiciously and made her way over and Anastasia was the first to see her approaching. "Csaba," she greeted and he froze, recognizing the voice and spun around, letting go of Farah.

This was the first time he'd seen the Persian woman since she left Pannonia and now her face was unveiled for the world to see. His jaw dropped at the sight of her and Farah lifted her eyes to his gawked expression and frowned heavily. It was also the first time that she'd seen the woman in the Adame. Anastasia hung her head and covered her eyes. She tried to prevent this from happening.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Erzibet nudged her head at Farah.

"Oh," he rubbed his forehead anxiously and eyed his furious wife. "This is Farah. She's my wife and queen of Banat." He coughed lowly and wrapped an arm around his said wife and she shrugged his arm off. "Farah, this is…Erzibet."

The Persian smiled and held out her hand. "It's very nice to meet you." and Farah refused the hand shake so she slowly lowered her hand uneasily.

"Excuse me," Farah gave a short smile and walked by everyone and stormed down the hallway to her room where she was to retire for the evening and probably never come out until Erzibet had vacated the premises.

Erzibet stood in awkward silence. "It's so good to see you again, Csaba. I hope we can catch up sometime." She walked to him and grazed her fingers on his shoulder then head down a separate hall to the guest quarters where her husband was waiting for her.

Csaba took in a deep breath and whipped his head around to his mother. "What the hell is  _she_  doing here?"

"She's an ambassador of the Sassan family. I was hoping you could answer some of my questions," she folded her arms. "Now you see why I was keeping Farah locked away?"

* * *

Xena relaxed her body in the pool of steaming water and hissed at the cuts on her ribcage and arms burning from the intensely hot water. She was never so happy to see a bath her life after the adventure they had. First she discovered the treachery of the Kidarite king and prince and then the altercation by the Black Sea and to top it all off, they traveled four days in pouring rain and ramping through mud to get back home.

Her wife was on the opposite side of the bath and glared at her from afar while rubbing her arms with soap. "I can't believe you made a detour to the Black Sea and then we got bombarded by all those merchants. Those Vandals almost ripped me in half."

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "I made a mistake. Am I not allowed to do that?"

"You're the commander! You should have used better judgment."

"Hey at least I wasn't distracted by you this time."

Gabrielle scoffs loudly at that and scrubbed the mud off her shoulders. "You were about to be coyote meat if I didn't save you. Not even you can fight off twenty men by yourself. I would like some recognition for that."

The brunette warrior grumbled and sunk deeper into the water. "Thank you," she admitted something she never thought she would but did because Gabrielle was right. "How's your back?"

"I'll live but I think I need to see the healer to work out the kinks."

Xena smiled deviously. "I can massage your back for you."

"No way in hell I am letting you near my spine again. Your hands can break steel, Xena." She chuckled and threw the soap at her.

"You're real funny." She scrubbed the soap into her palms and worked it throughout her skin and long hair. She picked up her waist length hair and rubbed the mud out furiously.

Gabrielle cocked her head and swam over to aid. She grabbed her wife's long hair and soap. "Let me help you." she offered and Xena turned her cheek shyly. She gently worked in the soap and picked out the leaves and large globs of mud out with her fingers.

Anastasia walked into the bathhouse and several of the women bowed their heads while sitting on benches, combing their long hair. She waved her hand and continued onward to the back of the large bathhouse while tracking mud into the place, dirtying up the marble floors.

She halted and the two women turned around at the shadow cast down into the water. "We need to talk. Now."

Gabrielle set the soap aside and Xena turned around, leaning her elbows outside of the bath. "I'm not really on the clock, but go ahead."

"Csaba told me that Hormizd sent ambassadors here to discuss a peace deal. Those ambassadors are Erzibet and her husband and cousin, Balash." She reported and her mother and governor cringed in disgust. "Ellac wanted to wait until you three returned to give them an answer. He doesn't want a peace treaty with Hormizd and I don't either. What happened during this mission?"

Gabrielle leaned against the bath wall. "Well…what else did Csaba tell you?"

"Nothing except that ambassadors was sent here. He is too distracted by Erzibet to tell me anything else so I came to ask you for the truth and I want  _the_  truth."

"Here's what happened: we sent him to spy on Hormizd. Bolgaris and Bayan showed up and they offered to take a share of the Persian treasury but it's Justinian's. So we know that he's been working with the Persians for awhile. The ships that were sent to Persia were transporting Byzantine soldiers."

Xena interrupted, "and we went to the Black Sea to see if it was true but we found Vandals in the ships instead."

Ana folded her arms and knelt down to sit by the bath. "Vandals and Persians working together? That doesn't seem right."

"Or they're going to attack the Persians," she shrugged her shoulders and waded in the water.

"I thought the Vandals were working with Justinian."

Gabrielle raised her feet out of the water and picked at the skin around her heel. "Justinian could be two timing them. It's a pretty genius plan if you ask me; pay Hormizd and the Vandals then let them attack each other. We should have thought of that a long time ago."

Anastasia rubbed her chin. "Very interesting. And you said Bolgaris and Bayan were in the Persian camp?" and they both nodded. "I want to organize a raid into the Kidarite tribe."

Xena's eyes perked up. "Oh, a  _raid_? I haven't been on one of those since you were a little girl."

The governor was perplexed at the idea and she herself had never been on a raid before. "What's a raid?"

"We go in the tribe and pillage everything and round up the escapees then make them submit to us. It's a rush," says Xena with wild eyes.

"I'll leave it to you then." Ana stood and threw the hood over her head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to kick out Erzibet and her husband before Farah kills them."

Gabrielle looked over at her wife who was trying to wash the soap out of her hair. "Is there a lot of killing during these…raids?"

"Only if they fight back. I don't know if you would want to come, Gabrielle. Raids are different than missions. If things don't go our way it usually ends up being a takeover of the tribe and the Beys or in the case, the king, will be killed."

"Sounds grim…" she said in a muffled voice and then looked over at her wife who was having the hardest time cleaning her hair. "Xena, just let me do it." She swam over and rinsed the tangled locks. "Maybe you should cut your hair."

Xena gasped and gripped her hair. "No, I like my hair."

"I know you women have a thing for long hair but maybe you should trim it. Anastasia's hair is way passed her hips now. I don't know how you guys keep up with it." She picked up the veil of hair and placed it over her head in a playful manner.

"My hair is not a toy." She splashed water in her wife's face.

* * *

Nisa sat behind Cera on the bed, brushing her long auburn hair with a boar brush. Cera was busy trying to sew some new beads onto her burgundy headdress. Nisa smiled and held the long hair in her palm and brushed the knots out on the ends of the shafts.

Cera turned around and smiled at her mentor and friend. She took a break from sewing and signed to her with blushed cheeks.

"Yes I like your uncle very much," answered Nisa.

The princess nodded and signed if they were going to get married. Nisa shrugged and continued brushing Cera's hair. "I'm just waiting on him to ask me but I'm sure his mother will have a say." She said and Cera nodded. "The khatun is nice, right? I haven't spoken to her a lot since I moved here."

The eleven year old waved her hand from side to side, indicating that Kreka's moods shifted with certain people, especially new people and Nisa was definitely new and most of all, she was a Thracian. She heard a loud thud from outside her window and frowned. She grabbed Nisa's wrist and hopped off her bed and walked out onto her balcony which was on the first floor of the Adame.

She looked from left to right and could barely see anything in the pitch black field. The forest was ahead and she couldn't spot or hear anything from that far away. She stepped outside further and lifted her head to the porch above and heard her parents talking above them and their voices drifted off and she gathered they were going back to their room.

"Cera, I'm not sure you should be outside if you heard something…" advised Nisa.

Cera came back into her room and closed the door leading to the balcony. She turned to her mentor and gave a big shoulder shrug and hopped back onto the bed and picked up the needle and thread to continue sewing. She grabbed the brush and waved it in Nisa's face.

* * *

Arielle was studying in her room for the last few hours and couldn't make sense of the documents her father mailed over. She went over the process of giving treaties out for the last hour and dug her fingers in her hair and tried to focus. She took in a deep breath and flipped the paper over and decided to focus on something else for the next hour.

She tapped the quill pen on her head and contorted her face in confusion. There were so many rules to an empire and she felt like it'd be easier to let Yeter continue to be regent but she wanted to prove to her parents that she could do this by herself.

"This is easy," she spoke to herself. "I've been around this all my life." She coached herself and exhaled heavily.

The back doors leading to the wraparound porch opened and she set the pen down on the desk slowly then reached for a sword leaning on the wall. She spun around with the sword pointed at the intruder. Bayan put up his hands and she sighed in relief.

"Bayan, what the hell?" she dropped the sword onto her bed and ran over to the doors to the entrance of her room and locked them.

He picked a few grapevine leaves out of his hair and smiled. "Your sister almost caught me. I liked it better when you lived on the first floor."

She ran over and wrapped a hand over his mouth. "Would you keep your voice down? My mother is in the next room!"

Bayan grinned and took her hand off and kissed her generously and her arms fell limp in his hold. He pulled away and finally she cast a serene smile. He eyed the marble baths in the next room. "So…the baths look really nice right about now." He pulled her along and she shook her head.

She was quickly reminded her excursion to the beach and felt self conscious of herself all of a sudden. "I already took a bath."

"Then take another one," he took off his cloak and threw it on a chair and stripped himself of his tunic and her eyes widened at his tanned muscular frame. "Arielle, what's the problem?"

"Do you…think I'm pretty?"

He chuckled. "Of course I do otherwise I wouldn't ride all the way over here to see you. Are you going to get in the water or stand there?"

She sighed and took off her robe slowly button by button and tossed it aside. He smiled and threw his pants on the floor and slipped into the warm water. She slipped off her khussas and slid off her pants. He turned around and leaned against the bath wall, spreading his arms out as he watched her undress.

Arielle smiled nervously and turned around with her back facing him. She slipped the tunic over her head and unclasped the brassiere and let it drop to the floor. She wrapped her arms around her ample breasts and kicked her pants out of the way and closed her eyes, not willing to turn.

Bayan ran some water over his face and drenched his shoulder length hair. His mouth ajar as he kept eyeing her long slender legs from behind and her hair dipped down to her hips. He swam to the edge of the bath and tapped her ankle. "Are you going to turn around so I can get a good look at you?" he hinted.

She opened her eyes and finally turned around and his light brown eyes lit up at the sight of her slender frame and very small waist to compliment the slight curvature of her hips. Suddenly she felt less nervous and let her arms fall to her sides and walked down the stairs into the water. He grabbed her hand to aid her and his eyes roamed up and down her body.

She dunked her entire body beneath the water and rose slowly, running her palms over her hair. He could keep the smile on his face for days and he wrapped his arms around her and brought her close. "You're not going to hurt me, right?"

"I will be as gentle as possible," he promised.

* * *

Xena waited at the bottom of the staircase and threw her head back, letting out a dramatic sigh. It was too early in the morning for these shenanigans and the longer she had to wait, the more impatient she became. So far she had been waiting in the foyer for half an hour and her granddaughter had yet to show her face.

Gabrielle finished a very interesting meeting with Erzibet and Balash before they made their trek back to Persia or wherever they were staying. Certainly, it wasn't known to them that she, Xena and Csaba were just in that area spying on them. She made her way down the hallway and caught Xena tapping her fingers on the stair rail with a scowl on her face.

"I'll have you know that Ana and Ellac declined the peace offer from Hormizd," she said.

"Mhm." Xena slapped her forehead. "Where is that girl?" she eyed the balcony above. "I'm going up there. She is wasting my time again! We have very important things to go over today."

"Like what? I thought today was my turn to help her study."

"Change of plans. She's coming with me on the raid."

Gabrielle gasped. "What? Are you joking? Are you sure she's ready for that? Does Ana know about this? Xena, she's going to kill you!"

"Don't care." She stomped up the stairs and knocked on the princess' door. "Arielle! You've had enough beauty sleep. I'm tired of waiting for you. If you don't meet me outside in ten minutes, I'm going to hand you over to Gabrielle."

Arielle woke up with Bayan next to her and heard her grandmother on the other side of the door. She slapped his face to wake him up and he groggily opened his eyes and yawned. She jumped out of bed and grabbed a fresh change of clothes.

"I need to go! I'm so late." She slipped on her pants and grabbed her boots.

He stretched his arms over his head. "What am I supposed to do all day? I can't leave during daylight."

"I don't know, stay here and away from the doors," she whispered. "The maids come in and clean my room so hide or something." She grabbed his clothes and threw them in his face. "Do not get caught or my mother will kill you."

"Got it." He smiled and pulled the tunic over his head.

"I mean it!"

"Okay! Go do your queen stuff. I'll be here when you get back."

She smiled and grabbed her kozak hanging up on a rack and opened the quickly to see her grandmother standing there with a horrible frown on her face. She slipped out a small crack and slammed the door shut. "I'm ready!"

"What kept you?"

"I was just really tired. Sorry, won't happen again." She fixed the kozak on her head and kept the big sneaky smile on her lips.

"Don't waste my time, Arielle." She turned and walked down the stairs. "We're going to discuss what happens during a raid and you're coming with me on one."

Arielle gasped in excitement. "A raid? Really? I get to go?"

"If you pay attention and do everything I say then yes. You won't be participating but you'll be on the sidelines and watch what I do. Understand?"

The teenage princess paused on the stairs and frowned sadly. "I don't get to be in the field?"

"You're not ready for that but if you aren't interested then I can ask your brother to come with me."

"No! I want to go!" she slid down the staircase railing, passing her up and jumped down on the ground. "Teach me everything!"

* * *

Csaba sat on the edge of the bed trying to reason with his angry wife for the last day but she hardly said anything which proved difficult for him to find out why she was so furious with him and everyone else. "Farah, I didn't know Erzibet was going to be here. When Hormizd said he was sending ambassadors I assumed they would be men…"

"Your ex-fiancée was in the same house as me and she was looking at you as if she didn't even care I was right next to you!" she yelled and rubbed her sore neck.

He sighed. "I don't like her anymore. I was just shocked to see her that's all."

"I bet you were." She glared at him and he returned the favor. "I want to go home if you're finished with everything you need to do here."

"We can leave in a few days," he says unhappily. With the entire month they were here, he barely got any time to spend with his family and instead was in Persia or traveling most of the time. He hated to leave on a sour note and grabbed her hand, smiling at her and she kept the permanent frown. "I love you."

"Yeah sure," she stuck to her stubborn attitude and he kissed her hand. She shifted in the bed and smoothed out her dark green dress then felt a swift kick to her ribs and she gasped. Csaba raised his eyebrow and he rested his hand on her belly.

He grinned and stared at the discomfort on his wife's face. "This one has a pair of legs."

"I'm so over being pregnant."

"Already?" he joked and a bit too soon when she narrowed her eyes. "Just a few more months and you won't have to be uncomfortable anymore." He winked and she sighed heavily.

Edemen came into the room and walked over to the other side of the bed and tugged on his father's pants. "Can you help me?" he pointed to the buttons on his vest. Csaba bent over and finished the last three buttons around his son's neck and pat his shoulder. Edemen smiled at his mother and was curious of his new sibling.

"Can I feel?" he asked politely and Csaba smiled.

"Sure," he lifted his son up and grunted then placed him on the bed next to Farah. "What has your grandmother been feeding you?"

Ede chuckled softly. "Cake." He placed his hand on his mother's swollen abdomen and his mouth gaped. "Does the baby like cake?"

Farah ran her fingers through her son's hair and he fussed a bit then pushed her hand away and immediately fixed his groomed hair. "I don't know, maybe."

"Okay!" he crawled off the bed. "I will go get some!" he ran to the door and reached up to grab the knob. "Don't move, mom." He pointed his finger at her.

"I'll be here," she gave him a thumbs up and he ran down the hallway. "If I would've known he was so eager to fetch me food I would have thought of this months ago," she joked.

* * *

"Arielle, are you paying attention?" Xena asked and her granddaughter lifted her eyes slowly, as if staring right through her.

She wanted to go on a mission, a raid, anything that involved being away from her home for a few days or weeks but she didn't expect this. How could her mother order a raid on the Kidarite tribe? How could she attack her own people for the sake of just…doing it? Arielle listened to the commander for the last hour go over the necessities of a raid. Though she had never been on one, she'd heard of them but she didn't want to go on a raid in Bayan's tribe.

Xena snapped her fingers and Arielle jumped. "You're not paying attention."

"I –I am." She rubbed her arm nervously and twiddled her thumbs in her lap. "When do we go on the raid?"

"In a month maybe less. I have to see what your mother says. If you can't focus I will take someone else. Are you sure you want to go with me? It will take a couple of weeks to get there."

The princess nodded. "I want to go." Which was the truth but she didn't want Bayan or his brother to get hurt or possibly killed. "For a raid, it is to be unexpected, right?"

"That's the idea. We go in and attack them head on."

"Well, what if they fight back?"

"Then we will make them surrender to us. Haven't you been listening to a word I've said?"

Arielle nodded then stood up, brushing the wrinkles out of her robe. "Can I go back to my room now? I have a…test to study for. Gabrielle is giving it to me next week."

"Alright, fine. Go on." She shooed her away and the princess left hastily and bumped into the governor on her way out. "Where have you been?"

"I took one for the team and told Anastasia that you were taking Arielle on the Kidarite raid." She said with a big smile and Xena contorted her face. "I was yelled at for an hour but good news; she said Arielle can go."

"I know I can always count on you," Xena said with a glimmering smile. "What's with you giving Arielle an exam before the raid? I want her to be focused on one thing at a time."

The governor poured tea into a tall glass and turned to her wife with a puzzled expression. "I didn't assign a test."

Xena groaned and slapped her knees. "That girl is full of bullshit."

"Maybe she's nervous about the raid?" she suggested and gave her wife a glass of tea. "I don't know what goes on in her head and she's certainly not going to tell you all her secrets."

"I hate teenagers. They think they know everything." Xena said sourly and sipped the hot tea. "Are you sure you don't want to come on this raid?"

Gabrielle remembered the raid that she was caught in while she lived in Athens. Xena was hunting a Bey who escaped a tribe and she had the gall to sail across the ocean to find him and bring him back to Attila. She was so determined to see justice brought forth and Gabrielle wasn't quite sure if she was willing to see that side of her wife again. She was more than frightening; she was horrifying the way she and her men charged through the streets of Athens. Even though she knew Xena was no longer that same person, there were times when that part of her came out. She could name several occasions but that was one thing she didn't want to see. It was a sight she'd never forget.

"I'm positive. Promise me you won't lose yourself."

"Gabrielle, I'm not like that anymore unless of course some people push my buttons."

"Make sure those buttons aren't pushed and don't scare Arielle."

"I am not scary."

"Oh yes you are –you can be." She lowered her eyes into the tea and picked out a fly. "Arielle's never seen you in the field before. All I'm saying is that you keep yourself in control."

She understood that and thought of how intimidating she could be, even to her own daughter at one point. "I'll be good." She nudged the governor's thigh.

* * *

Anastasia came into the dining hall and caught Edemen portioning out some of the cake onto a plate. He sliced a big piece and grabbed it with his hand. "Drop the cake!" she yelled and he dropped the piece back onto the table.

He spun around with a handful of cake and frosting and an empty plate. "It's not for me!"

"Oh really?" she smiled and grabbed a napkin and wiped his hand. "Who's it for then?"

"It's for my baby brother," he said with a big smile.

"Well isn't that sweet of you." she pinched his cheek. "I think your mother would appreciate some regular food. You can help me set a plate for her, how's that?"

"Okay but can I still give her the cake?"

She could tell that he wasn't going to give this cake thing up that easily. "Sure. Why don't you run along and tell her?" she pushed him forward and he ran out the room. She smiled and looked at the cake that was now a mangled mess then saw Arielle walk by.

She exited the dining hall and caught her daughter before she was about to head upstairs. "Arielle."

The teenager paused and turned around with big nervous eyes. "Yes?"

"I'd like to talk to you."

"Can it wait? I'm kind of in a hurry."

Ana pointed to the floor and Arielle hung her head and trotted down the stairs slowly. "I'm only letting you go on this raid because you need exposure and also…Gabrielle convinced me. I want you to do everything your grandmother says and don't do anything spontaneous. Promise me you will behave."

"I promise mother." She made her way back upstairs, anxious to get away.

"Wait! I wasn't finished."

Arielle grumbled and walked back downstairs again. "What?"

"Don't walk away from me while I'm talking to you. I didn't say you could leave."

"Well you have me. So what do you want?"

Ana frowned and creased her eyebrows together then Arielle's obtuse attitude quickly diminished. "In a couple of months you will be presenting yourself to me and your father. He makes the decision if you're fit to be queen and Yeter also has a say. I don't get a say in it at all so I hope you've been studying."

"Yes, yes. I've been studying alright. Can I go now?" she trailed up a few steps and her mother grabbed her arm.

"If you need to tell me anything I'm always here you know," she came at her daughter with a softer approach. "I won't judge you."

Arielle nodded. "I got it, mom. May I please leave?"

"Arielle, I mean it. You can tell me anything."

"Okay…." She grinned and pried her mother's hand off. "I really have to go."

* * *

She hurried to her room and slammed the door and locked it. She leaned against the doors and exhaled deeply to compose herself then began quietly searching through her room in search of the Kidarite prince. "Bayan," she whispered. "Bayan, where are you?"

He rounded the corner from the room that used to be Edemen's and he was eating the fruit that was brought in by the maids. "You weren't gone long. Are you finished with your queenly duties?" he grabbed her hand and she snatched it away.

"Bayan, you have to listen to me."

"I always listen to you," he kissed her neck and smelled her hair.

"Bayan!" she shoved him against the wall and his eyes widened in surprise. "My mother is organizing a raid. My grandmother is in charge of it and she's going to raid  _your_  tribe."

His arms fell limp to his sides and the desire to grab her in any way completely faded away. "What? Why would she do that?" his face suddenly turned ghost white and felt anxious that they might know about the agreement his brother made with the shah.

"I –I don't know but you have to go home. Tell your brother about the raid and get everyone to vacate the camp. I'm going with her and she's going to rip your people apart. You have to warn them!"

He scratched his head and exhaled heavily. "What –what…I…"

"You need to leave! We're leaving in a month. Is that enough time for you and your brother to get everyone out?"

"I am not sure. Arielle, why is your mother doing this?"

"I don't know! Just get your stuff and go!" she picked up his clothes and shoved them in his chest. "There's a reason why my grandmother is known as the best commander. She's done dozens of these raids with my grandfather. She's going to murder your people if you don't get out." She cupped his face. "Please…"

He nodded. "Alright I'll leave at sundown."

* * *

A horde of Vandals marched into Persian territory and Hormizd cautiously approached the edge of his camp with Karenid Vizier. He was not expecting Vandals to arrive in his territory as Justinian told him to send mercenaries to sack the Vandal kingdom in Africa, which had yet to do because Justinian held back on sending his full thirty thousand men he promised.

The leading commander of the Vandal horde walked forward and took the helm off his blonde hair and extended his hand to the shah."We've come by the orders of General Belisarius."

"Justinian has sent you to do what? Negotiate with me? Attack me?"

"You are not heeding my words, shah. General Belisarius sent us, not Emperor Justinian. We don't work for the emperor. Our king, Guthamund, hired us to work for you to invade Hunnic land."

Hormizd chortled and looked over at his vizier. "You hear that? The Vandal king sent his people to us to attack the Huns and all this time I was told to attack them." He stepped closer to the commander. "What deal did your king make with the emperor if you don't mind me asking?"

"Guthamund signed a contract for thirty thousand men to invade the Berber kingdom but the emperor only sent half of the men."

"How fascinating. He also promised me thirty thousand men to get rid of your people. That man is a two timing snake," he growled. "What is General Belisarius' take on this? Why has he sent you here?"

The Vandal frowned. "I just told you. We were ordered to help aid in the attack of the Huns. The general commissioned us."

"So, he is betraying his ruler. Those Romans can never stay loyal can they?" he chuckled and Karenid Vizier simply smiled but was nervous to have so many Vandals in the territory, believing this was all a trick by the emperor himself. "Please, make yourselves at home. What is your name?"

"Thrasamund. I am the brother of our king."

"Welcome to Persia," Hormizd finally shook the man's hand then turned to Karenid. "Prepare tents for our guests."

"We have our own tents, shah. What area of the Hunnic lands should we attack first?"

Hormizd rubbed his beard and looked around at the barren land where his family had settled for decades. It was almost sad to see the land wasted and unoccupied by the Huns even though they owned the land.

"We are the middle of three important tribes –the Pannonians, White and Nezaks. Take your pick."

* * *

Ellac and Xena lead the army into the Kidarite territory and they rode side by side while Arielle was behind them on her horse, dreading this day for weeks now. Her stomach was in knots during the entire journey and she forgot how tiring traveling could be especially since they didn't make a lot of stops. Instead of two weeks to get to the tribe, it only took a week because they stopped once to allow the horses to rest more than the soldiers.

Xena kept her eyes focused on the tribe up ahead and turned to Ellac who mirrored Attila perfectly with his long hair and chiseled jaw. "You remember when I used to go on these raids with your father?"

He smiled at her. "Yes I remember. He stuck me in the Adame with Kreka and I hated it. You two were gone for weeks and months at a time." He sadly recalled all of the tribes that used to be under his father's huge empire. "And now the conquered lands are gone."

"You have new ones. That's what's so fun about conquering. You can always find new land." She said with a half smile and he rolled his eyes and kept riding, watching for any attacks around them. She turned to the solemn princess behind them. "How are you doing back there?"

Arielle lifted her head and looked into her grandmother's serious eyes. "I'm fine."

"Remember to stay behind on the hill overlooking the tribe. I don't want you anywhere the field. You're just here to observe."

"I know."

Ellac halted his horse and raised his hand for the army to stop marching. He gazed at the empty camp below in the desert. There was nothing left but yurts, some livestock and household belongings lain out in the center of the encampment.

Xena trotted up beside him and her eyes wildly grew. "What the hell is this?"

Arielle looked over their shoulders and saw the entire encampment was barren of people. She smiled in relief and then heard her stepfather growl loudly. She backed away slowly, steering her horse out of his way, afraid that he might lash out.

"Someone told them we were coming," he concluded. "This was supposed to be a raid and someone tipped them off!"

"Burn the camp," Xena ordered and waved her hand at her elite men. "Burn all the yurts and kill the livestock. Leave nothing behind."

They rode into the deserted tribe with lit torches and began setting every yurt they came by on fire. They took the lambs and slaughtered them by the throat and threw them in the burning yurts. Arielle covered her mouth and turned away. She couldn't think what could have happened if Bayan and his brother had stayed. Everyone in this camp would be dead or shackled forced to surrender unto Ellac and her mother.

The commander whistled and guided the army downward the sandy hill and Ellac turned to his stepdaughter who was disgusted by the entire display. He grabbed her face and turned it towards him. "Why do you turn away? You want to be queen and you shy away from burning yurts? There are no people here to slaughter."

She blinked and saw the fury in his eyes –a side of him she'd never seen before. The field was a lot different than training in the comfort of her homeland. "I…I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me." He took his hand away and she rubbed her sore cheeks. He left her side and followed the rest of the army down the hill.

"Where are we going?" she asked and steered her horse steadily down the hill, careful not to slide down and hit everyone else.

"We're going to track the Kidarites."

"But that could take days or weeks!" She kept thinking about Bayan and hope he was smart enough to tell his brother to go far, far away from this area because even they knew the commander was the best at tracking people.

"Then so be it." He continued onward and looked behind at his frantic and weary stepdaughter. "Aren't you coming? I can't leave you behind or your mother will beat me. Let's go."

* * *

Gabrielle sat with Anastasia in the conference room and while her mind was on the raid, she tried to remain focused and stick to the orders, which she had none so far. These last few days had been very boring for her considering the place she lived in, that was rare.

"Are we going to follow up with the Vandals in those ships? They were heading towards Persia."

Ana nodded and continually picked at her food that was supposed to be eaten an hour ago. "I should…blockade the entire Black Sea. What do you think?"

The governor was hesitant to answer. "It will take almost the entire to army to do that. Justinian has control of the south side and we have the west, Persia, north and east. I think it will cost too much money to blockade it."

"But my mother loves blockades. They are her specialty." She stabbed the squash with her fork violently and Gabrielle scooted back on the rug a few inches. "I could ask Csaba to loan me some of his men. He has a big army now. I could get the Dalmatians to help as well. I could have the entire sea blockaded in a week if I wanted to."

"I suppose you could but what will Justinian do?"

The queen clenched her jaw and sliced the squash in half with her fork and stabbed it again, lifting it off the plate and pointed it at her governor's face. "I need more spies. I don't like being left in the dark when it comes to Romans. Do you remember when my mother was general of Rome when Valentinian was in power?"

Gabrielle bobbed her head.

"She just demanded it and he gave it to her because he was afraid of her. We have too many enemies now. It was easier when we had the Visigoths on our backs and the Romans. The Persians weren't much of an issue back then but they are now. I will send spies into each territory and ask them for reports every few weeks. What do you say, Gabrielle?"

"Um, well, if that's what you think would be best."

"I want to be ahead of everyone else but we're behind lately. Attila always had a foot in a Roman's door and now I know why. He knew everything they did! We don't know shit!" she slammed her food back onto the plate and Gabrielle flinched. "I don't like waking up in the middle of the night dreading if someone will attack us or burn the Adame down. I must be informed."

She sighed and pushed the plate away. "It's decided. I will send a spy to the Vandals, Romans, Byzantines, Franks, Goths and Persians. I will know every single thing there is to know. Thanks, Gabrielle, you've been a great help."

Gabrielle looked around and felt invisible as the queen basically had a conversation with herself but she went along with it. "No problem. Always happy to help."

* * *

They circled around the entire perimeter of the Black Sea near old Persia and now they were in the somewhat neutral territory between the Hun Empire and Byzantine. Xena followed the tracks left by horses and they stopped at the sand leading out of the forest. She frowned and glared at a few ships docked at one of the largest ports of the sea.

Arielle stopped behind her and recognized the area. It wasn't far from where she went with her friends a month ago. She even saw people lounging on the beach beyond the large ships which weren't Byzantine at all, they were Persian ships. She saw people in the ship and they were definitely Kidarite. She searched for Bayan and Bolgaris but saw no sight of them and didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Xena kicked her horse and pointed to the docked ships. She and the army stampeded downward out of the lush forest and onto the beach. Ellac rode beside her and waved his hand to signal the archers to fire at the ships.

Arielle stayed behind in the forest and was bumped several times by the soldiers passing her by like a waif in the wind. For the first time she saw her people go into full attack mode and to top it all off, the loud horns sounding from the Hun army, making their presence known was even more horrifying than she imagined it would be.

Once the ships were set aflame by the Huns' arrows, people on aboard began to jump into the sea, fleeing for their lives but they were shot with flaming arrows just the same as the ships were. Arielle's eyes darted from left to right and right to left, unsure of what chaotic mess to look at first.

She finally decided to join her people as they continued charging through the beach, slicing through Kidarite bodies without hesitation. Travelers on the beach began to flee and screamed. They left their food and drink they brought with them and Arielle halted her horse when she saw Alexio and Cyrus, the two Greek boys she met once before.

They stood frozen and gawked at her as she sat upon her black stallion dressed in red tassels on his tail and braided mane. She frowned sadly at them and continued onward, riding through the sandy beach. Still no sign of Bayan, she continued searching for him but found Kidarites sprawled across the beach, dying or dead already.

For the first time in her life she understood why outsiders often called her people savages. People ran in fear from them and she could see why they'd be frightening –dressed in animal furs, leather and mass amounts of weapons.

After most of the fighting stopped, Xena rounded up everyone who was willing to submit and tied their necks together with a single rope. She lined them up on the beach and pushed the last of man on his knees and tightened the rope around his throat.

She walked along the row of men and lifted the first man in line with a tilt of her sword. "Where is your king?"

"I don't know," he said.

She moved onto the next man thus sparing his life. "What about you?"

The Kidarite glared into her piercing blue eyes. "I don't know."

She let out a small laugh and eyed all of the men with the same stone cold expression on their faces. "What is this? A group effort? Someone give me King Bolgaris' whereabouts."

Silence.

She sighed and walked over to Ellac. "Kill them."

Arielle gasped and hopped off the horse and ran over to her grandmother. "You're going to kill them?!" she cried.

"They won't talk, Arielle. I told you this was a raid. I went over this with you."

"So just because a few men won't talk that means you're going to execute all of them?!"

Xena narrowed her eyes and gripped the princess' shoulder. "Why are you being so sympathetic to these people? They betrayed us and allied with Shah Hormizd. What did you think we were doing in Persia? Having a picnic? We were spying on them and we saw Bolgaris and Bayan talking with Hormizd!"

Arielle's mouth parted and she looked over at the Hun soldiers standing behind the Kidarites waiting for the command from Ellac.

"They're traitors and deserve what's coming to them."

Ellac waved his hand and swords swiped downward, decapitating over twenty Kidarites. Their heads rolled on the ground and their bodies convulsed only for a few seconds and then collapsed on the sand, some fell backwards, some forwards. Arielle put a hand over her mouth and felt like she was to blame for some of this. If she hadn't warned Bayan about this raid maybe they could have made a peace deal but instead more than half, if not all, of the tribe was slaughtered.

"What do you want to do with the bodies?" asked Ellac.

Xena would have had them on pikes in the past to warn the enemies at the gates so to speak but she was mindful of what Gabrielle said. From the look on her granddaughter's face she knew bodies on pikes would be too much and she should spare her at least that much.

"Burn them. Their bodies are useless since our  _friend_  Bolgaris is missing in action." She ordered then looked around at all the corpses in the sand. "Burn the other bodies too." And Ellac gave her a curt nod.

Arielle leaned on her horse and felt sick at the mass amount of death she was surrounded by. Xena placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped.

"This is a thing we have to do sometimes, Arielle."

"But they're our people."

"So was Ebnedzar's tribe. Attila and I sacked the Suevi tribe long ago."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "but we're friends with the Suevi."

"Yes we are – _now_." She paused and cupped her cheek. "They were going to rise against us so we conquered them before they could do it to us. Now we did the same to the Kidarites." She mounted her horse and looked at her granddaughter's pale face. "We'll head out. Ellac can handle it from here. We're only two days ride from Pannonia."

Arielle nodded and slowly got on her horse and stared at the soldiers gathering up the decapitated bodies and dumping them in one pile to be burned. She could probably never show her face on this beach ever again after today.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39 – _The Teenage Warrior_

The commander walked along the first row of the new recruits she was training. Over the last five years, she trained several young men and they had grown and moved onto work for the Hun army. Now she had a new set of men, or rather boys, to train. Navaz sent over some of the Sabir boys that were living in Balaam and waited until they were of age. She was going to have the most fun with them. Csaba also sent Szekely boys to train with her and Dalmatians were recruited by Ellac a year ago.

She had each tribe separated into blocks and while she hoped the Sabir recruits were going to be hardest to train, they were the easiest. But of course they were, she thought, they used to belong to Boareks and she was horrible to them. They must have been used to cruel treatment but alas, Xena thought herself better than the deceased Sabir Queen. She was fairer than Boareks was in many ways. Certainly, she wouldn't kill children and her own offspring to rise to the top.

The recruits held three planks of wood over their heads and she stopped in front of the group of Szekely boys and leaned downward to one boy. He was sweating profusely and stared into her eyes, struggling to hold up the planks. His arms shook and he grit his teeth and she gave a cheeky grin. He dropped the planks and grabbed his sore biceps. His teammates groaned and knew what was about to happen.

"Spoiled Banat boys," she scoffed and he huffed. "Living in your big mansions, wearing fine silks and never had to lift a finger your entire lives." She pointed to the planks. "Pick them up," she ordered and the Szekely recruit regrettably picked them up and lifted them over his head. "You're a disappointment to your king and queen."

Gabrielle walked up the hill and observed all the boys moaning and groaning as they held the planks over their heads. She smiled and joined her wife at the top of the hill. "Having fun?"

"Of course. Get a load of the Szekely boys. This one can't even hold a couple of planks over his head for five minutes."

"I see."

"The Sabir boys are resilient which is unexpected," she muttered and turned to the governor. "You've been busy. Did you need something?"

Gabrielle turned back to the boys. "Are you going to give them a break?" she asked and her wife stared at her like she asked the stupidest question in the world. "Never mind. Anastasia sent out the spies to all the areas. Your brothers volunteered to be spies for the Franks and Vandals."

"Hopefully they won't disappoint. They are used to lurking in the shadows." She sighed and stared at the boys. "Put the planks down. You guys are giving me a headache with all the moaning." She waved her hand and dozens of planks fell onto the ground and heavy gasps filled the field.

"She wants to wait on the spies in Constantinople. Actually…she wants us to be in charge of that but after Farah's serata."

Xena frowned. "Seratas. There is one thing those Szekelys know how to do: party." She grinned, remembering how entertaining Farah's last celebration was. "Any word on Bolgaris and Bayan?"

She shook her head then grabbed her wife's arm, leading her off to the side. "Xena, Arielle is still in her room. She's been in there for a week and refuses to leave. What the hell happened during the raid?"

"I told you what happened. We killed everyone who chose not to disclose Bolgaris' location."

" _You_  decapitated them?" she hinted.

Xena snorted. "Well, if you're asking if I did it then no I didn't. I let Ellac's men handle it." She said and her blonde cohort slapped her arm. "I was good! I didn't use pikes. I told Ellac to burn the bodies. What do you want from me? It's not my fault she has a weak stomach to these things."

"Xena." She inhaled sharply and pointed her finger in her wife's face. "Anastasia's never been on a raid before and she's a queen."

"She's been in war and that's far worse than any raid. I swear."

"You're missing the point!" she dug her fingers in her hair. "She's in her room crying."

The rough exterior of the commander diminished and she frowned faintly. "She's  _crying_?"

Gabrielle gave a slow nod.

"She didn't even kill anyone! What the hell is her problem?"

"Will you at least try to act like you're a bit sympathetic towards her?" she folded her arms and glared at her tall wife. "You've been doing this for decades, she hasn't. Didn't you feel the least bit scared and confused during your first raid?"

The commander ran her tongue over her top set of teeth and turned to the recruits. "No I didn't because I was out for vengeance for my people. I enjoyed killing people, Gabrielle. I thought it would heal my heart after my brother died but it didn't and it still doesn't. I don't enjoy killing people  _now_  but sometimes you have to."

"Maybe you should talk to her. Tell her what your life used to be like before living with the Huns."

Xena creased her eyebrows together and shook her head. "No."

"Why not? She's only known you who you are today. Maybe if you tell her that you used to be just like her at one point then she can relate to you better. She's probably afraid of you."

"She is not afraid of me." She brushed the idea off, ignoring the fact that Arielle was more than an arrogant teenager, but also was under a lot of pressure for a girl her age. More pressure than Anastasia that's for sure.

Gabrielle grabbed her wife's hand. "Will you do it for  _me_?" she batted her lashes and Xena released a deep sigh. "Please?" she kissed her hand.

"Not in front of the recruits!" she hissed and hid her face from the boys. Thankfully they were too distracted by their aching muscles to notice the governor's open affection. "Fine, I'll do it. But you must do one thing for me."

"What's that?"

"Train these boys until I get back."

Gabrielle's cheeks turned sour within. "Xena, no!"

She waved her hand and walked down the hill. "I trust you! Be hard on them!"

* * *

Rose knocked on the princess' door. "Arielle, it's Rose and Marina," she said and waited for a response. "We're…going fishing and we wanted to know if you'd like to join us." Still no answer.

Marina sighed and stepped in front of her brunette friend then knocked on the door loudly. "Arielle, you've been sulking in there for a week now. Come on, it'll be real fun. They have the best fish in the river this season! You love fishing!"

Cera appeared from the stairs and approached her sister's friends and they turned to her. She looked at the closed doors and folded her arms then wagged her head. Rose placed her hands on the princess' shoulders. "Cera, will you talk to her for us?"

The redheaded pre-teen shook her head again.

"She's your sister. Are you going to just let her stay in there all day and night?"

Cera nodded and walked off to go visit her mother in the room next door. Marina tried knocking on the door again and Xena appeared behind the teenager. Rose's eyes grew in fear and she tapped her friend's shoulder then the blonde turned to the tall commander standing over her.

"I'll talk to her," she said with a commanding voice and quickly the two girls padded down the hallway, whispering to each other. She smirked and took out her dagger and slid it in between the crack of the doors to sever the lock. Once she got the door unlocked she stepped inside and found Arielle laying on the bed, curled up in a fetal position, gazing at the window.

Arielle heard footsteps and she turned over and frowned. "How did you get in here?" she distinctly remembered locking the door.

"I can get into any room," she waved the dagger in the air and then put it back in her belt. She sat on the bed and knew Arielle was annoyed by her being here. "You have it pretty good here you know," she began and Arielle curled her arm under the pillow. "Large bedroom, your own private bath, a huge house, a family who cares about you. You have more than your mother did growing up. She lived in a large yurt with me and the midwife, Galena. I was gone a lot and she didn't have anyone to play with. You have plenty of friends."

"You're not going to tell me about you raising mother as a boy again are you?" she snidely asks.

"No." Xena scooted closer and Arielle glared at her and scooted away a little bit. "I know that raid was hard for you to watch but one day you will have to protect your people and you should know what to do when that time comes."

Arielle breathed deeply through her nostrils and kept her eyes on the window. She was more than upset that Ellac beheaded all of those men. She was even more upset to hear that Bayan and his brother betrayed her family by allying with the Persians. She was done sobbing and now she was just angry and the worst part of it all was that she couldn't tell anybody about this dilemma. She'd seen Bayan on and off throughout the last five years without anyone noticing and she planned to keep it that way but it was becoming more difficult for her to keep her feelings hidden from her entire family.

"Do you know where I used to live?" Xena asked.

"In Akitziri."

"No, before that."

Arielle raised her eyebrow. "Thrace?"

"Yes, in Amphipolis with my brothers. My mother died when I was a bit younger than you are now. My father left when I was very young. He went off to war and never came back," she explained her past which her granddaughter hadn't heard everything before. Only the major points but not everything.

"Did you miss him?" she softened when she asked.

Xena smiled warmly. "No. He wasn't a very good father or a good person. He went off to upper Thrace and warred with a tribe in Stagira. He came back home with my two brothers, Pirro and Ditron, one day and left them in my mother's care then left again except he didn't return."

Arielle's jaw dropped and she sat up in bed, finding this conversation very interesting suddenly. "They're your half brothers?" she asked and her grandmother nodded.

"Arielle, I'm going to explain to you why it's important to keep your borders and your people safe. When I was a year older than you I lead an army to kill the Visigoths. They came into my village and killed a lot of my people, mostly children."

"You had an army at seventeen?!" she gleefully said.

"Just listen to me," she held her hand up at the anxious princess.

* * *

_Amphipolis, Thrace –Forty Three Years Ago_

Toris walked into the room and smiled at everyone. He took his cloak and hung it over a chair. He came round and pecked his sister's cheek and she shied away from him. "Something wrong?" he asked and she shook her head.

Pirro stood on his chair and hugged his eldest brother. "Did you make some swords today?" he wriggled his eyebrows.

"Not today," Toris smirked and Pirro pouted then sat back down in the chair. Xander tapped his fingers on the table impatiently and Toris took note of his eyes glued to their sister. "Is there something going on here that I need to know about?"

Xena lifted her head and stared at Xander. He answered, "no. Nothing going on here," he said and she lowered her gaze, thankful that he did not rat her out. "Right, Xena?"

" _Right_ ," she said and Toris nodded slowly then grabbed a plate to sit down next to Lyceus. She eyed her littlest brothers and then looked at Xander. "Ditron, Pirro, go to your room." She ordered.

"Aweh come on, Xena!" Pirro whined and Ditron saw that look in her eyes. Pirro was pulled out of his chair by his brother. "I wasn't finished with my food!" he said and Ditron grumbled, ushering him down the hall.

Toris picked at the food that Xena had made for everyone. He felt there was an odd tension in the room and dropped the spoon on his plate and folded his arms. "What is going on?" he asked everyone.

"I don't know," Xander said. "Why don't you explain, Xena?"

She ignored her brother's snide attitude. "Ditron spotted some riders coming towards Amphipolis. He said they had red hair. That means they're probably from up north somewhere."

"And?" Lyceus commented.

"I could talk to Markis and ask him to gather up the men in the city to see what the riders want..." she offered.

Toris scoffed. "Xena, you are not going through with this warrior phase you're in right now! You are not supposed to be involved with things like that! You are supposed to take care of Pirro and Ditron, not wander off and join an army of thugs."

"They aren't thugs!" she slammed her fist on the table and the brothers' eyed her with shock.

"I'm sure you  _know_  them well," Xander mumbled and she shot him a glare.

" _You_  stay out of this!" she pointed her finger at him.

Toris raised a suspicious brow at that. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Lyceus smiled nervously and touched his brother's hand. "Nothing. Don't worry about it," he tried to play peacemaker among his elder siblings.

"No!" Xander rose from his chair. "Ever since mother died you've done nothing but invite men into your bed, Xena! You are going to bring this house to shame and you probably have a reputation by now as a harlot."

" _Harlot_?!" she stood and the two glared into each other's eyes, both leaning on the edge of the table. "You're one to talk, Xander. That girl from Stagira seems to like you. I guess you won't be given the same title you bestowed upon me."

She left the table and grabbed her sword and a bag. Toris sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where are you going?" he asked her.

"Why does it matter?" she shrugged her shoulder and opened the door and stormed out. Lyceus furrowed his eyebrows and glared up at Xander.

"Now look what you've done," he said and Xander snarled. "You shouldn't have called her a harlot, Xander. She is our sister!"

"I don't care if she is our sister." Xander sat back down, brooding to himself. "She is only harming herself."

* * *

Arielle frowned at the story she was told and didn't really like it that much. "Your brothers sound like jerks, especially Xander."

"He was just trying to protect me, I guess," she raised her eyebrow at that, realizing how awful that sounded coming from her lips. "He watched over your mother for awhile when she studied in Greece. He died protecting your mother and Ellac from Romans."

"Oh," she lowered her eyes. "You miss him?"

Xena hadn't thought about her brother in a very long time and missed his smile and kind words. She wondered if she ever did thank him for saving Ana all those years ago. "Yes, I do."

"So what happened with the Visigoths? Did you drive them out of Amphipolis with your army?"

Her eyes darkened, remembering that war too perfectly even after so many years later. "Yes. But I lost someone very important that day."

* * *

Dawn approached and Xena opened the door to her home. Xander, Toris, Ditron and Pirro sat at the dinner table eating, or rather trying to ignore the chaos outside. They turned their heads when they saw her. Drenched in blood, her face caked with crimson and her hair wet, stuck to her tunic.

Xander stood from his chair with his mouth ajar. "Xena...what...wha –"

Markis walked in, carrying Lyceus body and Toris stood slowly. Pirro cuddled next to his brother, horrified of his elder sister.

"They're gone," Xena said aloud and her brothers kept gawking at her. "The Visigoths left."

Xander rushed over to Markis and looked at his little brother. "Lyceus..." he grazed his brother's cheek and stepped away, feeling the skin cold to the touch."He's...dead." he whispered and frowned at his sister. "This is all your fault!"

"It wasn't..." Markis defended Xena.

"You shut the fuck up!" Xander pointed his finger in Markis' face.

"Ditron, take your brother to his room," Toris whispered.

Xander glared at his sister who seemed distant and even emotionless. "Don't you have anything to say? This is your fault, Xena! If you would have just done what you were told none of this would have happened! Lyceus would be alive and you would be married off to a nice man instead of parading yourself around the city like a whore."

"I didn't kill him! A Visigoth did! They killed hundreds of children yesterday, Xander!" she finally spoke in a low voice and he didn't flinch. Markis set Lyceus' body on the sofa and stood off to the side. "He went on his own accord! I didn't see you or Toris coming to aid us! Hundreds are dead! You could have helped!"

Xander scoffed, "so we can die too in your little army? Xena, please."

"I expect nothing from you two. You're both cowards." She said and Xander glanced down at his brother. "We're going to burn him along with the other bodies later today. If you want to come, be my guest. At least he tried to defend his people."

"You're insane, Xena."

She shook her head and looked to Markis. "Let's go."

He went to grab Lyceus again and Xander grabbed his arm. "Don't you dare touch him." Xena gave him a look and he folded his arms. "He will be buried next to mother on this property. As for you, Xena, you are no longer welcome in this home."

"Xander!" Toris hissed.

"I love you Xena. You're my sister. My other half. But you've gone too far. Our brother is dead because of  _you_." Xander said and Xena scowled then stormed out of the house with Markis following.

* * *

Xena looked at the floor and a tear ran down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and turned to her star-struck granddaughter. It'd been a very long time since she spoke of her brothers and never realized how much it still hurt her inside. "Arielle, I understand how hard it is to see people die –your own people. I've seen more people die than anyone here. The best thing you can do is just live with it. Come to terms with it and it will get easier."

Arielle half grinned, "really?"

"No." she smirked. "I lied. It doesn't get any easier but you will learn how to block it out. When you have your first kill it will be all you think about but I wanted to prepare you for that. That's why I asked you to go on the raid with me. I'm not doing this to torture you. I'm not  _that_  cruel."

She let out a small chuckle. "Well, I guess I can come out of my room now. I have to continue my  _studies_. Did you know Yeter has a say whether I get my position or not? I really don't like her."

"Arielle, you've got to stop being so bitter towards the woman. Your father gave her the position. It isn't her fault."

"Then how come every single time I see her, she smiles evilly at me! She likes waving my role in my face. I feel bad Oran. He's married to her and my father also arranged that."

"I see you're feeling better," she nudged the princess' chin with her knuckle.

"Are you going to tell me what happened after you left Amphipolis? How did you end up in Akitziri?"

"A story for another time,  _tatli kiz_." She pat her shoulder. "Go on. You should probably take a bath and wash…your hair," she picked up the limp curls and Arielle frowned.

* * *

Xena returned to her yurt and Gabrielle was setting food down on the rug to eat dinner by themselves. With everything going on, she thought it'd be better for them to eat alone instead of in the dining hall with the rest of the family. Gabrielle smiled at the sight of her wife walking in and carefully placed down a tray of a mountain of rice.

"I got to hand it to you; I really liked training those recruits. It's really invigorating to see them fail and try again! I worked them hard like you told me to. Maybe we could switch places whenever you feel like it?" she suggests and her wife disappeared into the bedroom without saying a word.

She thought her silence was odd but continued setting the trays down. "I have the pepper dip and don't worry Kreka didn't do anything to it. I tested it." She smiled and spread out the plates and silverware. "I know you two like to play small jokes on each other but sometimes you go too far," she teased and heard her wife in the other room take off her boots. "How was the talk with Arielle? Did it go well?"

Continual silence was starting to unease the blonde and she stood up from the floor, staring at the curtain which led to their bedroom. "Xena?" she calls out but once again, no response. She wiped her hands on a cloth napkin and approached the bedroom with caution.

The mighty commander shows no feelings in front of anyone, even her own family at times. She felt more than drained when she told her past life to Arielle. She told her more than Gabrielle or Ana knew and she thought it'd be easier to lock that away for the rest of her life, almost like that part of her didn't exist but it definitely did. She realized that today when she poured her soul out to her granddaughter.

Gabrielle sat on the bed and wrapped a comforting arm around her. She pulled back the long dark hair away from her wife's face and saw silent tears falling from her eyes. "Xena…" she whispered and wiped the tears away. "Hey, what's the matter? Did something happen with Arielle?"

The brunette shook her head and ran a hand over her cheek.

"Do you…want to talk about it?"

"I…" she steadied her voice, "I told her about my brothers when we used to live in Amphipolis. I told her about the Visigoths who attacked my village and about Lyceus dying."

She knew that had to be hard for her to completely gut herself but perhaps it was necessary. Xena kept away her feelings and past and for good reason, but sometimes it was best to let everything out. "I know you miss them a lot."

"I don't think about them. Is that bad?" she turned to her blonde wife with teary red eyes.

That sure was a loaded question, Gabrielle thought. "I don't think it's bad. They've been gone for a long time but just because you don't think about your brothers doesn't mean you don't love them any less. You should be grateful that you still have Pirro and Ditron. They look up to you."

"I'm not very nice to them. I've never been," she began to feel resentful.

"Appreciate the family you have now. You never know when they may slip away from you." she squeezed her wife's hand firmly and leaned her head on Xena's shoulder. "I'll be here for you, like always. You don't have to say anything although…it was brave of you to talk to me."

Xena cast a weak smile. "Thank you." she leaned over and pecked her wife's warm lips. She quickly dried her cheeks and fixed her hair. "What have you been talking to Anastasia about? Your meetings with her are longer than usual recently."

Gabrielle recognized her wife was desperate to get the topic off of her and onto something else. She stood and pulled her off the bed towards the dinner spread she worked so hard on. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"That bad?"

"Let's just say she's 'branching out'," she put it lightly. Her wife shot her a strange yet probing look. "You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Csaba walked into his bedroom and saw Farah was reading and bored out of her mind since she was ordered by the physician to stay in bed. He closed the doors and her eyes poked out from the papers she was reading and smiled, happy to see him. She set down the parchments and sat up in bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Farah sighed. "Better." She noticed the scroll behind his back that he was doing so poorly to hide. "What's in your hand?"

"Oh," he revealed the ill concealed scroll and tapped his fingers on the end of the bed. He traced his fingers along the wooden frame and she raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior. "My mother sent this over. She has a job for you."

"Really?" she shifted in bed and crossed her legs then held out her hand. "Give it to me."

"I don't want to stress you out, Farah."

"The only thing stressing me out is being in bed all day and Rabia breathing down my neck these last two weeks." she wiggled her fingers. "Hand it over."

He walked around to the side of the bed and she snatched the document from him and smiled with satisfaction. She opened it up and threw the ribbon aside and scrunched her face up and before he could take a look at it, she held it close to her chest.

"Your mother wants me to design a ship for her."

"What?!" he tried to reach for the paper and she slapped his hand away. "She's really lost her mind. Why does she want a ship?" he tried to peek at the paper once more.

"Csaba, I'm trying to read." She hissed and he sat down on the bed, waiting patiently. "She wants a war ship in case she has to send people to Africa. I am assuming she's going to be making a lot of these." She rolled up the scroll and handed it over to her husband. "I will need very large sheets of parchment, ink –blue and black, and a measuring tape." She ordered.

He gawked at her and ran his fingers through his hair. "Farah, I don't know if you should be doing anything right now. I mean, you almost fainted two weeks ago."

"I can work in bed besides I'm losing my mind being in this room all the time! I'll be fine. Can you put in my order for the supplies, please?" she grabbed his hand and he emits a shy smile.

"Consider it done."

She ran her hand across the unsettled child within her and frowned. She felt like the child was doing cartwheels or somersaults inside her and she was tired of being a constant punching bag. This was definitely a lot different than when she was carrying Edemen. She was constantly ill and her body ached in places she didn't know were possible.

"I hope this baby is a girl because I really want a daughter," she hoped with a big smile and Csaba nervously grinned. "I have a few names picked out." She then began to go down the list, "so far I have Celia, Freya and Zipporah. What do you think?"

He shrugged his shoulders, not really having a preference to names of any kind whether it be for a boy or girl. "They're all nice names. Did you pick out any names for a boy?"

"I chose Aman. But like I said, I want a girl so hopefully it's a girl."

Csaba tried not to show any animosity towards having a daughter to not upset his wife. "Well, what if this baby is a boy?"

"Then we will have another baby and hope for a girl," she said affirmatively and that only made him more apprehensive than he already was.

"Oh god," he muttered.

She frowned. "What?"

"I said,  _oh_   _joy_." He quickly covered himself and kissed her hand.

* * *

Xena stared at very assertive daughter and pointed her finger in her face. "Let me get this straight: you commissioned war ships to be built," she stated and Anastasia nodded. "And Farah is designing them?"

"I am paying her of course. She did so well designing the canon that I thought ships would be a breeze for her."

"You…are a genius," she smiled and Ana's eyes lit up. She almost feared that her mother was going to ream her for this idea. "We've never been sea bound before in war. This opens up a whole new world. Why didn't anyone think of this before?" she rubbed her chin.

"Because those people aren't  _me_ ," Ana said proudly. "Since we own Dalmatia I thought we could store the ships on their coast. We could go to Africa or Rome in a short amount of time if we needed to. I have all my spies in their rightful places and should hear back from them after we go to Banat for Farah's serata."

Xena nodded. "Good plan. What do you want me and Gabrielle to do in Constantinople? You didn't send any spies there."

"Yes!" she grabbed a map of the Byzantine Empire and pointed to the convents surrounding the Hagia Sophia. "I want you two to infiltrate this church and find out what's going on in there."

Her mother puckered her lips and stared at the map in disbelief. The whole idea of going inside of a church wasn't exactly what she had in mind so she had to ask, "What?"

Ana laughed and told her, "mother, there's a lot of secret activity in the church and convents. Justinian's wife is in charge of the Hagia Sophia. I know she is passing information on to the ministers there."

"This is a very strange mission, Anastasia. I don't do convents and churches."

"It's the most important mission out of them all. I trust you and Gabrielle can do it. I'm ordering you."

"No need for that," she teased her daughter and winked. "I'll make sure to pass on the message to Gabrielle."

"Thanks I know I can count on you two for this mission. I don't want any attacks, mother. Keep it simple."

"That word is not in my vocabulary."

"I'm serious. This is a stealth mission and I know those aren't your strong suit but please, don't give your position away."

Xena cupped her daughter's face and squished her cheeks together. "Relax. I won't do anything to jeopardize the mission. You trust me, yeah? You trust me."

* * *

Bayan waited until sunset and climbed up the side of the Adame wall to sneak into Arielle's room. He swung his legs over the balustrade and looked around to see if anyone was watching him then once the area was clear he opened the door to the baths and crept in quietly.

He walked through the baths and poked his head around the corner and saw her on the bed studying. He grinned and made his presence known and she turned to him slowly with a scowl on her face. She slowly rose from the bed and walked over, staring into his brown eyes. She struck him across the cheek and his mouth gaped.

"What the fuck!" he yelled and she covered his mouth and pushed him into the next room and closed the door.

"No! What the fuck were  _you_  thinking? You knew exactly why my mother was going to raid your camp. You knew, Bayan, you  _knew_."

"I…what are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me!" she pushed him against the wall and tears filled her eyes. "You and your brother allied with the Persians and I tried to save you but you know what? My grandmother killed all of your people on those ships and you ran! How could you?"

"Arielle, I'm sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?"

She thought for a brief moment and let up on him and wiped her eyes. "You call off the alliance with Hormizd or I'll tell my mother."

He laughed and gripped her arms. "Tell your mother  _what_  exactly? That you told me to call off the alliance? She's going to know about me –about us. You didn't think this through did you?"

"Weren't you listening? My grandmother slaughtered your people."

"They left!" he growled. "They didn't want to come with us."

"Come…with you? Where did you go?"

He lowered his gaze and stepped away from her. "We went to Persia…to the shah's camp. We've been staying there since you told me about the raid."

Now she knew that those men who her grandmother interrogated were telling the truth. They truly did not know where their king was. That meant those men died for nothing and there was no way to bring them back; bring all those people back. They died in vain. None of those men who died hadn't the slightest idea where Bolgaris or Bayan were. But after everything that had been done, there was nothing she could do to fix it.

"Bayan no…no, no, no!" she slapped his chest once, twice and then three times. "You need to get out of there! My grandma has people looking for you and your brother. If she finds out you're with the Persians, she'll kill you and Bolgaris!" she raised her hand to strike him again.

He grabbed her wrist firmly and she struggled against him. He forced her against the wall and pinned her arms to her sides. "I don't control what my brother does. I am not the king, he is. I can't sway him away from leaving the Persians."

"But… _you_  can leave, right?"

He let go of her and turned his back to her then pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration. "Where would I go, Arielle? Where?"

"I –I don't know. You could go to Constantinople for awhile. Nobody would know you. You'll be closer to me," she gripped his shoulders from behind.

"What will I tell my brother? He's going to wonder where I am."

"You…could tell him you are spying on Justinian for the shah."

He turned around and gazed into her glossy blue eyes. "You've thought of everything." He grazed her cheek.

She smiled. "Actually I just came up with that just now. Pretty good, right?"

He wrapped his arms around the small of her back and kissed her forehead. She grabbed his hand and led him towards her bed. He eyed her curiously and she moved the papers off her bed onto the floor. She took off her black and burgundy cotton robe while staring at his eager face. Smiling, she tossed the robe aside and slowly slipped off her pants.

"Shouldn't you…be studying?" he couldn't keep his eyes off her slender legs.

"I can study later." she kicked the black pants off and crossed a leg over the other. "Oh wait," she got off the bed and went to lock her doors. She turned around with a mischievous smile and unclasped her brassiere and let it fall to the floor.

* * *

Gabrielle swung her fist at the princess' face and she blocked it with her arm. She circled the tall teenager and thrust her arm forward and Arielle grabbed her arm and pulled her into a lock. She wrapped her arm around her teacher's throat and choked her.

"I…I see you are in a better mood," she croaked and Arielle let her go. She rubbed her throat and ruffled her short locks.

"I'm in a great mood," she couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

Gabrielle rubbed her wrist and smiled at the thriving princess. "What's the capital of Persia?"

"What?"

She swung at her face and knocked Arielle backward. She chuckled and extended her hand to the beaten down girl. "Every single time," she jests and helped Arielle up. "You must stop letting yourself be distracted, Arielle."

Arielle rubbed her chin and opened her mouth to relieve the pain. "I'll try better next time…" the question about Persia through her off and it was something she was not expecting, but alas, must be prepared for anything, she thought.

She walked over to the well and ladled some water from the bucket and drank it hastily, water pouring down her throat and chest. She breathed heavily and handed the ladle to the governor. "Where's grandma?"

Gabrielle pointed to the field up ahead and Arielle nodded. "Of course. Training the recruits. I wish I could help her like Csaba used to do. Do you think she'll let me?"

"I doubt it."

"How come Csaba wasn't trained like I was? He's a king now but he never had any training like I have." She leaned on the well and poured some cold water on her long hair, relieving some of the heat radiating off her body from the summer sun.

Gabrielle shrugged. "He had plenty of training but it wasn't as intense as yours is. He's also older than you." she placed the ladle back into the bucket and stared at the princess, resembling much of Ana and Xena. She could see why Pirro and Ditron said Arielle reminded them of Xena. She had similar bone structure to hers and of course she was tall but so was Anastasia. The only thing that was different was her curly hair and thick eyebrows which she presumably got from Navaz.

Arielle clapped her hands together. "So, we go again? I won't be distracted again, promise."

"We have to stop for now."

"Ah come on, Gabrielle. You getting too old for this or what? Let's go again. I'm ready."

"Arielle, I'm serious. We have to stop for today." She head back to the yurt and took the bandages off her knuckles. "Your mother wants to see you in her room."

The princess' heart dropped to her stomach. "Oh? For what?"

"She wants you to try on some dresses for Farah's serata."

Was that all? She groaned and ripped the bandages off with her teeth. "I hate dresses. Can't I wear my robes and pants like always?"

"I don't make the rules. You should go, she's waiting for you."

Arielle raised her hands in the air and backed away. "Don't want to keep the  _queen_  waiting," she mocked her mother and smiled then went on her about her way.

Gabrielle smiled at the princess and then wiped the sweat off the nape of her neck with a cloth. She heard her wife's loud voice from afar in the field, yelling at the young recruits. A few of the civilians heard her voice and looked over at her. She cast a big embarrassed grin and waved at them then they passed by, watching the field ahead.

* * *

Soran sat in his room sewing up a rip in one of his vests. Safiya sat with him, teaching him how to sew ever since he moved back to Balaam three years ago. While he was not keen on living with a Sabir woman, especially a woman that his father married, he did grow to like her. She was not like Boareks at all. She was very nice to him and tried to get on his good side so to speak.

He knew that Safiya couldn't replace his mother but she tried her best to make him as comfortable as possible whenever she was around. He finished the stitch and handed it over to her so she could check it. Despite Navaz's refute attitude towards his son learning how to sew he wasn't one to step in between his wife and son.

While she was checking his stitch work he asked, "Are you going to Pannonia for my sister's presentation?"

Safiya lifted her eyes and stared into his dark eyes. "No I'll be staying here with you. Yeter is coming over with Oran later tonight to discuss the presentation with your father." She folded up the vest and laid it on his lap. "Very good, Soran. I am impressed."

"Thanks," he says meekly. "How come you aren't queen?"

"Because your mother left everything to Arielle. Your father made this agreement with Anastasia and Yeter before I came along. To be honest, it takes a lot of pressure off me," she said with a smile.

He didn't like that Yeter was regent queen of Balaam any more than Arielle. If it was up to him he'd give the role to Safiya and have Arielle as regent until she proved herself to be worthy of the throne. "I don't really like Yeter. She's not very nice," the eleven year old prince admitted.

"She's not so bad, Soran. She's just a very serious person."

"So is Kreka Khatun and even she's nice to me. Yeter doesn't even talk to me and I don't like her son either."

"He's only four."

"I prefer to spend time with Oran. He's very funny," he said. "And he likes to teach me how to use any weapon I want. Yeter just sits there with a mean look on her face every time she comes here."

Safiya sensed great hostility from her stepson regarding the Gokturk queen. "I think you've been writing Arielle too much. Be on your best behavior tonight, Soran."

* * *

He dreaded this night just like he dreaded every single time the Gokturk family came to Balaam. It was unfortunate that they lived so close to his home; maybe an hour or two away. They needed to go further away. Perhaps they could dig a hole into their mountains and live in a cave forever but no, instead Yeter and Oran built a huge palace settled in the crevice of the lush mountains. Many Sabirs relocated to the Gokturk Empire and even some White Huns went over to live there instead of Balaam.

Yeter walked in with Oran and there was Navaz standing with Safiya in the foyer. Soran stood off to the side and looked for the rugrat and was thankful they didn't bring the Gokturk brat with them this time.

Before Navaz could greet them Oran raised his hand, "Navaz we have a problem. We spotted some Vandals in the mountains last night. They came from Persia."

" _Persia_?" he blurted out in surprise. "I was just in Persia with Xena, Gabrielle and Csaba." He folded his arms. "I need to talk to Anastasia in person. Have someone send for her," he instructed them. "Did they leave or did you drive them out?"

"They left. I think they were checking out the camp," said Oran.

Navaz nodded. "Dammit," he sighed and looked at Yeter who stood patiently. "We have things to discuss. Follow me to my room and we can talk there."

Yeter walked by Safiya and briefly smiled at her then trailed behind Navaz. Soran frowned and stared at Oran. "Why is your wife so mean?"

"She's not that bad," Oran mused. "She's different at home. To tell you the truth, Soran, I didn't like her either when I met her but I don't really have a choice now do I?" he joked and received a glare from the Sabir woman. "She lets me do whatever I want and I let her do what she wants. Besides, she's a great mother to our son. I think she loves him more than me," he whispered.

"Well, I like Csaba's wife better. She's really nice."

Oran had to agree. "Yeah she is. Anyway, you got some new bows I heard. I want to see them," he changed the subject.

Soran nodded and turned to his stepmother. "Safiya, would you like to come with us?"

"No, that's alright. I think I'll go to my quarters. Thank you though." She squeezed his shoulder and he walked off with Oran. She turned and frowned at Navaz's room right down the way and quietly walked over to listen in on his and Yeter's conversation.

* * *

"She failed her practice test earlier this year, Navaz. She does not deserve to be queen. Why not hand the position over to Safiya?" she offered.

He paced around the room anxiously rubbing his beard. "Fairuza promised the role to Arielle. I can't go back on her word."

Yeter grew impatient and tiresome of the conversation they had over and over again for the last year. "Fairuza is dead. You can change the rules. Give the role to Safiya. She is your wife and has been for four years. She should be queen. I have my own people to govern and I don't need to be in your daughter's evil eye all the time."

"I will carry out Fairuza's wishes. She loved Arielle and that's why she gave everything to her."

"And so you are implying that Safiya does not care for Arielle?"

He slammed his hand on the table. "I did not say that! She…she just doesn't know Arielle very well. They only meet face to face once or twice a year."

Yeter stood, no longer interested in carrying this conversation onward as it was leading nowhere. "Perhaps I am not the problem, but your daughter. She's a spoiled arrogant child. She mouths off to her own mother and grandmother all the time and you do nothing to stop it. If she fails again you will know she is not ready to be queen." she pushed the chair in and walked out.


	40. Chapter 40

**I realize there are a lot of babies coming and going lol but I am following a timeline here so bear with me.**

Chapter 40

Princess Arielle galloped around inside one of the huge animal pins on a large horse that she was able to keep as long as she trained it and could tame the wild streak out of it. She held onto the reins and skirted around the pin furiously. The wind blew wildly through her long curly hair and she grinned as the horse picked up great speed.

She pulled out the bow from her back and an arrow from its holster. Slowly, as the horse continued to race around and around the pin in one giant circle, she steadily jumped up onto the saddle in a crouching position. Planting her boots firmly on the saddle she stood up and gained balance on the wild horse.

The princess loaded the bow and pulled back and spotted the target a few hundred yards away. The horse continued to gallop in a circle and she waited until the next go around until she shot the arrow and it landed in the center of the target. She clenched her fist, rooting for herself and plopped down onto the saddle and yanked on the reins to slow the horse to a steady trot.

Busra walked up the pin and leaned her elbows on the wooden railings. Arielle smiled and stopped at the edge of the pin and swung her bow over her shoulder then leaned downward to scoop a ladle of water from the bucket below. She finished drinking the full ladle of water and dropped it into the bucket.

"Did you see me? I finally got the target! I've been working on that for months!" Arielle cheered.

Her great aunt smiled and tapped her fingers on the pin. "It was very impressive but shouldn't you be…in a meeting?" she hinted.

Arielle gasped. "Oh, no! The meeting! I completely forgot!" she hopped off the horse and over the pin's wall. "Shit! She's going to kill me!" she took the bow and holster off her back and shoved them in Busra's chest. "I gotta go!" she raced across the field and jumped over a herd of sheep. Busra rolled her eyes and set the bow inside the pin and wiped her hands on her black dress.

* * *

She burst into her bedroom and searched through her chest of clothes and pulled out a burgundy dress and flung it on her bed. Quickly, she stripped herself off the dirty leather vest she wore and it was caught on her long curly locks. She grumbled and cursed beneath her breath as she struggled to pull the vest over her head.

Finally she was free of the vest and breathed heavily then grabbed the dress and pulled it over her head and looked down at her muddy pants. "Dammit!" she pulled her pants down and threw them on a chair and looked for a fresh set of pants to wear beneath her dress. She knelt down and began digging in the chest but there were no clean pants.

Regretfully she crawled over to the dirty pile of clothes and found the cleanest pair of pants and thought that would have to do. She slipped them on and grabbed her clean boots and hopped around her room as she pulled each boot.

Arielle looked at herself in the mirror and saw dirt all over her cheeks. She panicked and took a cloth and scrubbed her face vigorously and then pulled her long hair back into a low ponytail and wrapped a ribbon around the tail. She smoothed out her wild curls and smoothed out the dress and smiled.

She grabbed a bottle of perfume and doused her wrists and accidentally poured it all over her neck. "Fuck!" she yelled and coughed at the strong scent but there was no time to change into something else and if she had been on time then she would have taken a bath. She threw the bottle on the ground and ran to the doors.

A moment ran later she ran back and snatched the headdress laying on the candle in her room and put it on top of her head and stormed down the hallway.

* * *

Xena tapped her foot impatiently and eyed the doors. Gabrielle anxiously stood beside her and the two hadn't said a word in the last half hour. She sighed and watched the sand timer which had already expired a half hour ago.

"If she doesn't show up in the next minute, I'm leaving." Xena threatened.

"She'll be here. Just wait." She tries to soothe the uneasy and impatient commander.

The doors swung open and Arielle ran into the room and waved. "I'm here! I'm here!"

Gabrielle smiled. "See, she made it."

The princess came to a screeching halt and adjusted the black kozak on her head and grinned at her grandmother. Xena raised her eyebrow and approached her and circled around the tall athletic sixteen year old, examining her attire. She picked out a piece of hay from Arielle's hair and flicked it in her face.

"You're late."

"I know. I'm  _really_  sorry." Arielle put her palms together and grinned up at her grandmother with a very repentant smile.

Xena pinched her granddaughter's chin and sniffed her neck. Arielle cringed and tried to pull back. "You smell like lavender and a stable. Where have you been?"

"Nowhere important because what I'm doing now is really important, right?" the princess forced a laugh. "Okay, so what do we do first?" she tried to dismiss her grandmother's suspicions and continue with the meeting that she almost missed.

Gabrielle stepped forward and cleared her throat. "You're supposed to present yourself to your mother and father so I hope you've been studying. If you can't answer any of my questions then I don't think you're ready to take your role as queen."

"I'm ready! Hit me!" she nodded and Xena's fingers slid down her face and groaned.

"Okay question one: what would you do if an enemy asked you to side with them? What is your first move?"

Arielle frowned and tapped her cheek. "I would…tell them that I should ask the king first because he is above me." She concurred and Gabrielle licked her lips and stared at Xena who shook her head. "What? Oh no, it's wrong? Damn. Wait, no I got it. I ask my adviser and then ask the king."

"Let's just move on to the next question." She proceeded and the princess huffed. "If you needed help from outside Balaam during a time of famine or war, whatever the case may be, who would you seek help from?"

"Wait, I know the answer for sure this time. My mother and Ellac." She answered proudly.

Gabrielle rubbed her forehead. "Actually, you would ask Oran and Yeter because they're closest to you…"

Xena grabbed her granddaughter's arm firmly. "You haven't been studying at all! What have you been doing? Riding around in a field with your head in the clouds?!"

"No!" she yelled and Xena widened her eyes. "I mean, no…" she lowered her voice. "I'll study real hard. I can prove I am ready to be queen."

"Forget it. Your parents are due back any minute from Balaam and you're not ready to present to them."

"What!" she heaved and stared at Gabrielle who found a stack of papers a lot more fascinating at the moment. "Politics are so dumb! I know how to use a sword and a bow. Shouldn't that be good enough? I can kill someone."

"No, you can't. You've never killed anything in your life. Saying you can do something and doing it is a lot different, Arielle. You're not ready to be queen yet and that's your own fault." Xena snubbed her granddaughter. "Gabrielle, let's go."

Gabrielle squeezed the princess' shoulder and mouthed an apology then walked off with the commander.

Arielle spun around. "Wait just a minute! Just give me one more day! I can show my parents I am ready!" her pleas were ignored and the doors were shut. She ripped the headdress off her head and threw it on the ground.

* * *

Gabrielle hung up her coat on a rack and glanced over at her wife pouring a huge helping of wine into a glass. She waltzed over and put a second glass next to hers to be filled. "You know, Anastasia was nothing like Arielle at her age."

"She was too busy being a mother," Xena mumbled. "That girl is going to kill me. She's too outspoken and Ana gives her no rules. Did you hear her answers? She hasn't been studying at all."

"She's only sixteen, Xena. I think you're being too hard on her."

"Too hard?" she scoffed and sat down on the floor, sipping wine. "Nobody is hard on her! She does whatever she wants when she wants and Ana doesn't stop her. She hasn't been hanging around any boys has she?"

Gabrielle laughed and sat beside her, cuddling against her. "I don't think Arielle is interested in boys."

"That's what I thought about Ana and look what happened to her."

"If she could marry her bow I think she would. She can study some more and present herself in a few months. Don't stress yourself out too much. She's not your daughter."

Xena lifted her glass. "No. She's a pain in my ass." She took a swig and Gabrielle punched her shoulder. "And she smelled like she rolled around in hay all morning. Hey, you organized everything for our trip to Constantinople, right?"

"Of course I did. I picked the best soldiers to come with us."

"You didn't put Badr on the list did you?"

Gabrielle looked confusedly and went through the list of names, figuring she might have missed someone. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

"No reason. I just don't like him. He always looks at me strangely."

"Maybe he thinks you're pretty," she teased.

"Shut up, Gabrielle. I'm twice his age. I just think he drinks too much and I don't need drunken soldiers for this mission. When Ana is finished talking with Arielle, we need to talk about the Constantinople operation."

The governor sipped the wine and sat up on her knees. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Forgot what?"

"We're going to Banat tomorrow for Farah's serata."

Xena groaned and reared her head back on the pillows. "How could I forget about that? It's not like Rabia has been reminding us every two weeks about it." She finished off the wine.

"Edemen is going to be very happy to see you. He's going to expect a present from you."

The commander smiled thinking of the little boy. "I'm sure Anastasia will cover the gift department. He looks just like Farah."

"I'm sure all the girls are all over him already."

* * *

Arielle sprawled herself out on her bed and glared at the wall, wallowing in self pity. She wrapped a ringlet around her finger and contemplated her life at this very moment. She promised her parents that she would be ready to present her case so she could finally take back her position from Yeter. But now, given her grandmother's actions she knew she was going to be a great disappointment to not just her parents but everyone else around her.

Cera walked through the doorway and stared at her older sister lying on the bed with her legs spread around on the large bed. The tall lanky eleven year old ran her fingers through the auburn locks and frowned sadly. She found out what happened earlier but wasn't sure how to make her sister feel better, if she could.

"I know you're there, Cera." The princess muttered and sat up, staring at her redheaded sister. "I want to be left alone."

The younger sister did not heed those words and came round to sit on the floor in front of the bed. She spread her blue dress out and smiled. She pointed to her cheeks, indicating that her sister should share a smile with her. Arielle's frown deepened and Cera sighed then signed with her hands.

"I  _know_  mother is here," she groaned and rolled over onto her back with her head hanging off the edge of the bed. Cera signed another phrase and smiled hopefully. "I don't want to talk to her right now. She's going to be mad at me."

Cera shook her head and climbed onto the bed and tapped her sister's shoulder. Arielle sat up on her elbows and watched her mute sister sign quickly. "Whose side are you on? I want to be queen and you're just agreeing with grandma and Gabrielle!" she yelled and her sister scrunched her face in confusion. "Grandma is a bitch."

Cera gasped and slapped her sister's arm. Arielle punched her back and the two started slapping each other. Cera grabbed hold of her sister's hair and Arielle firmly gripped her hands around the younger sibling's arms and they rolled off the bed, continuing to fight.

Anastasia and Ellac walked into the room and stared at the two sisters squabbling on the ground like animals. He folded his arms and Ana raised her eyebrow, both going unnoticed by the fighting sisters. " _Ikiniz de hemen durudurn_!" she yelled and the girls turned their heads and stopped fighting. Cera stood up and fixed her mangled hair and Arielle got off the floor as well and smoothed out the dress she wore.

"What is the meaning of this? This is not the behavior of a queen, Arielle."

Her eldest daughter hung her head and glared at Cera. "Well, I'd just like to say that she started it."

"I don't care who started what. Arielle I would like to speak with you alone in my quarters please." She said politely and her daughter folded her arms, defying her. "Now!"

"I don't want to talk to you. Obviously, grandma and Gabrielle think I'm too irresponsible to be a queen. I'm leaving." She grabbed her headdress and small hunting bow.

"Arielle, you're not going anywhere. You're staying and talking to me." Ana blocked the door.

The teenager smirked. "You're in my way, mother."

"Put the bow down." She ordered.

"No."

"What did you say?"

"I  _said_ , no."

Arielle stepped closer to her mother and looked into her eyes. Cera came over and stood by her father. Together they watched the intense staring contest the two blue eyed and raven haired Hun women were having.

"Hand over the bow." Ana held out her hand and the princess brushed by her and started heading towards the exit. "Arielle! Come back here! I am not done talking with you."

Arielle walked backwards staring at her mother with chagrin. "I say we are done talking." She bumped into someone and turned around swiftly and looked up at her father. Her jaw dropped and he grabbed the bow out of her hands and snapped it in half with his knee.

"My bow!" she cried out and ran her fingers down her face. "What did you do that for?!" she yelled and Navaz grabbed her face, lifting her chin to look in her furious eyes.

"You cannot speak to your mother like that, Arielle. Gabrielle told me that you failed your test this morning. That's the second time this year you've failed. Maybe next year you will finally prove that you are responsible enough to take your role as queen."

"Next year!" she whined and he raised his eyebrow. "This is so unfair! I can study and be tested again next month! I swear I am ready."

"No you're not and you can't speak to your mother that way. You've run your mouth for far too long, Arielle."

She smirked. "You can't punish me here. Only mother and Ellac can."

Navaz sighed and looked over at his king counterpart and Ellac waved his hand. He smiled at his daughter and grabbed her arm, hauling her away.

* * *

Xena stood in the field with her arms folded while she watched her big mouthed granddaughter do pushups for the last two hours. Every time she mouthed off, a plank would be placed on her back. So far, she had three planks and her arms were shaking as she lowered her body to the ground and back up several times, taking minimal breaks.

Arielle paused and put a knee on the ground to take a breather. Xena looked down with a scowl on her face. "Did I say you could stop?" she said. The princess groaned and lowered her body to the grass and sweat dripped off her face. "It didn't have to be like this, Arielle."

"I'd rather clean the stables than be punished by you!" she barked.

"I can arrange that for you if you'd like," Xena smiled and Arielle kept doing more pushups. "That's what I thought. You shouldn't mouth off to your mother. She has done everything for you and you're acting like an ungrateful brat."

"I am not a brat!"

Xena grabbed another plank and set it down on top of the other three that were on her granddaughter's back. Arielle groaned and struggled to keep the heavy weight above her and finally, she collapsed onto the grass and heaved heavily.

"Get up." She ordered and the princess remained on the ground. She grabbed her arm and hoisted her up swiftly. "Go clean up and then pack your things. We're riding to Banat tomorrow for Farah's serata."

"I don't want to go to the party."

"Too bad, you're going and we're going to have a  _swell_  time." She pinched the teenager's cheek. "You'll be riding with me and Gabrielle."

Arielle scoffed. "I don't get to ride my own horse?!"

"You lost that privilege when you decided to fail your test and disrespect your mother."

"That's unfair!"

"Life's unfair. Go on," she pushed her along. "Come to my yurt in the morning and  _don't_  be late this time."

* * *

Csaba knelt down in front of his and smoothed out Edemen's short hair with his fingers. Edemen frowned and Csaba winked at him and then kissed his forehead. "You look very handsome," he complimented and fixed the boy's gold and black collar on his coat. He buttoned up the gold cufflinks on his wrist and his son sighed heavily.

"Dad, stop!" he whined.

"Fussy just like your mother," he chuckled. "I want to make sure you look nice because you know who's coming today…."

Edemen's green eyes lit up. "Grandma Ana?" he clenched his fists in excitement.

"That's right and your grandfather too and Gabby, grandma Xena, Arielle, Cera, Ernak –everyone is coming."

"Isn't mom coming?"

Csaba sighed. "Not right now. She's sleeping but she'll come see everyone later. You know the baby makes her very tired."

Edemen nodded. "Yeah I know. When's the baby coming?"

"Soon." He pinched his son's cheek and stood up. Rabia walked over and stood beside him and smiled at Edemen. He grinned up at her and waited patiently for his Pannonian family to arrive. "How is she?" he whispered to her.

Rabia rolled her eyes. "She's awake now but she's not in a good mood. My advice is to stay away from her."

"Is she going to come out and greet everyone at least?"

"She can barely get out of bed by herself, Csaba. If anyone wants to see her I can take them to her room. You've caused my sister a lot of pain."

He groaned. "Oh like it's my fault?"

"You got her pregnant!"

"She wanted another baby! What was I supposed to do? Say no?"

"They're here!" Edemen yelled and waved at his family coming down the hall.

Arielle was kept on a tight leash and walked in between her grandmother and Gabrielle down the hallway. Xena grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her close. "You be on your best behavior."

"Not like there's anything to do here anyway. This party is so dumb. Who has a three day party for a baby?" she scoffed and she was slapped on the back of the head. "I'm never having kids." She walked ahead of them to avoid any unnecessary conversation.

Gabrielle exhaled haughtily and stared up at her wife. "She's a pocket full of sunshine…"

"I don't know what her problem is lately. She mouths off to anyone these days." Xena folded her arms and watched her daughter exchange words with Edemen. She grinned and elbowed Gabrielle. "He looks like a mini Farah."

He ran towards them with a big smile. "Gabby! Grandma Xena! You came!" he hugged both of their legs. "You're staying for the party, right?"

"Of course we are." Gabrielle ruffled his hair and immediately he smoothed it out with his palms to look presentable again. Definitely Farah's son, she thought. "We brought you a present."

"You did?!" he lifted himself on his toes and tried to peek behind her back. Gabrielle pulled out a long wrapped gift and he grabbed it and tore it apart. He held a dagger with the clan of Attila's crest on it. "Wow!" he gripped the dagger. "A weapon! Thanks!"

"You can't use it until you're old enough to understand that this can hurt people." Xena knelt down and he nodded. "Don't tell your mother."

Anastasia shoved her insolent daughter forward to say something nice to Csaba. Arielle grumbled and smiled at her older brother. "Congratulations on bringing another spawn into the world, brother." she pat him on the shoulder and he raised his eyebrow.

Cera slapped her forehead at her sister's big mouth. Csaba bobbed his head slowly. "Thanks…" he eyed his parents who did not seem happy with his sister at the moment.

"Where's the gorgeous Farah anyway?" Arielle looked around.

"She's in bed right now but she might come to dinner later."

"In bed huh?" the teenager snickered. "She could barely get out of a chair the last time I saw her."

"Arielle,  _enough_." Anastasia chastised and Arielle rolled her eyes then walked off to the large table at the other end of the huge foyer to grab wine.

Csaba glanced back at his sister and turned back to his parents. "What's her problem?"

"Let's not get into that right now," Ellac suggested.

"Okay…" he brushed it off. "I hope you don't mind but I invited Oran and Yeter. They're bringing their son too."

Anastasia rubbed her temples and stared at her daughter who was drinking wine by herself at the table. "Hopefully your sister can keep her mouth shut in front of Yeter."

"Why? She still mad about not being queen?" he said jokingly and his parents bowed their heads. "That was supposed to be a joke." But obviously it was not a joke. "So…enjoy yourselves and I will go see if I can get Farah out of bed to come see everyone."

Dengi, Ernak and Oran walked into the foyer with copious amounts of wine. Ana and Ellac turned around and frowned. "We have the wine!" Ernak cheered.

Oran held up a satchel. "And some other  _things_ ," he wiggled his eyebrows.

"That better not be hashish," Xena said and he laughed nervously.

"Of course not, Xena. You know me, I would never…" he winked and she crossed her arms. "Where's my cousin?" he searched for Csaba.

Edemen ran over and tugged on Ernak's pants. "Did you bring Kurt?" he asked, hopeful that he was able to play with a cousin that was around his age. He didn't mind hanging around Arielle and Cera, but they were a lot older than he was.

Ernak grinned and knelt down, cupping the child's face. "Sorry, Ede. He's in Pannonia with my mother. But Oran brought his son. I'm sure you two will have a great time!"

Ede looked over at Queen Yeter who walked in with her son, Issik, dressed in a fine black and gold robe, pants and boots to match. His dark brown hair was slicked back, highlighting his fair skin and dark brown eyes that matched both of his parents. Edemen frowned at his cousin and he didn't really care for him. Being only a year apart from each other, everyone figured that the two would get along great but that wasn't really the case.

Gabrielle grabbed his shoulder and he glanced up at her. "Want to go say hello to Issik?" she suggested and he slowly wagged his head. "It's his first time in Banat. Don't you want him to feel welcome?"

"I don't like him."

"Ah, come on. We'll go say hello together." She grabbed his hand and he pulled away. "Edemen! Come here!" she ordered and he whined as he walked with her.

Arielle waltzed over with a half drunken glass of wine and stood beside her grandmother and eyed Yeter holding her son's hand and the men talking in a circle together. "What is  _she_  doing here?"

Xena turned to her infuriated granddaughter and took the wine from her. "Your brother invited them." She sipped the wine and stuck her tongue out and a male servant came by with a tray. She smiled and set the glass on the tray and he passed by. "That wine is awful." He scraped her tongue against the bridge of her teeth and Arielle stood by her breathing heavily out of her nose.

"Arielle, you will not say anything to her while she's here. This party isn't about you; it's for your brother. So for his sake, could you behave yourself?"

"We'll see."

Xena grabbed her arm firmly. "Don't do anything you will regret later," she hissed in her ear.

The princess snarled and pulled her arm back. " _Fine_."

Prince Edemen approached the Prince regent of Balaam and the Gokturk Empire. Gabrielle pushed him forward gently and he sighed softly. "Welcome to Banat," he greeted and Issik briefly acknowledged him and turned his cheek. "I…have lots of games in my room. Wanna see?"

Gabrielle encouraged him to keep talking. Edemen swayed back and forth on his heels. "I have yuzuk and Mangala. We could play those games if you want."

Issik raised his eyebrow and stared at the prince, who was trying so hard to be friends with him. "Do you have marbles?"

"Yeah! I have lots of 'em."

The Gokturk prince tapped his chin. "Okay." He nodded and pulled on Yeter's arm. "Mother can I go to Edemen's room?"

Yeter stared at Farah's son and Gabrielle who was standing behind him with a frown on her face. "I guess that would be alright."

* * *

That night everyone gathered around at the table in the huge dining hall. There were two empty seats at the head of the table and those belonged to Csaba and Farah. Everyone waited patiently for them to arrive and while most of the family conversed, there were others who remained quiet. Arielle was one of them.

She sat in between her mother and grandmother, which she was sure that was strategically planned so she wouldn't do something to embarrass the family. She unfortunately sat across from Oran and Yeter and glared at the Gokturk queen for the last ten or so minutes. Words from her mother's and Ellac's conversation trickled into her ear every so often as well as her grandmother's and Gabrielle's. She had her eyes glued to the queen and tapped the fork on the edge of the plate.

Xena frowned and grabbed her granddaughter's hand. "Stop that." She whispered and Arielle set down the fork.

The princess' eyed everyone around the table and Cera was sitting in between Dengi and Ernak. They played a game with her to keep her occupied. She was the youngest among everyone at the table and due to Farah's rules; she didn't permit any children under the age of ten at formal dinners for obvious reasons. So, Edemen and Issak were forbidden in the dining hall and were probably stuck in a room giving the maids a hard time.

Farah walked in with Csaba, many hours after everyone settled in, everyone was very anxious to see her. Farah smiled at everyone and Csaba pulled out her chair and grabbed her hand to help her slowly lower herself in the chair.

Arielle smiled at the heavily pregnant queen and suddenly her deprave thoughts over Yeter diminished. "Farah, you look –" before she could finish her sentence, her grandmother wrapped a hand around her mouth and she mumbled.

Farah raised her eyebrow at the princess and Anastasia forced a smile then kicked her daughter in the shin under the table. Arielle groaned and Xena had her hand glued to the girl's mouth. "So nice of you to join us, Farah."

"I'm afraid I won't stay long." She adjusted in the chair and her sister poured water in a glass.

Csaba sat down at the head of the table and waved his hand. "We can eat now." He said and immediately the men reached for the food in the center of the table and the women glared at them. They hid their greediness and instead of filling their plates, they filled the women's plates before theirs.

Csaba looked over at his mother who was ogling his wife. Farah wasn't very interested in eating food at the moment and bickered in hushed voices with her sister. He turned his attention to his uncles further down the table. "Ernak, where's your wife?"

Ernak spooned some rice onto Cera's plate and now all eyes were on him, especially Arielle's. He handed his niece a cloth for her lap and felt like he was put in the spotlight. "She's not my wife  _yet_  but I decided to leave Nisa in Pannonia with Kurt and my mother."

Arielle stabbed the goat with her fork. "A shame that others couldn't leave their  _wives_  behind." She implied directly at Yeter across from her. Oran wrapped an arm around his wife's chair and slumped in the chair, staring intensely at the outspoken princess.

Anastasia squeezed her daughter's thigh under the table. "Don't even think about it." She whispered.

Yeter chewed on the meat slowly and smiled at the princess. "How's your studies coming along, Arielle? Well, I hope."

"I failed my test." She said flatly.

"Oh, that's too bad. Better luck next time." she winked and Arielle stood up and slammed the fork on the table.

"You're not even a Hun! I should be queen, not you!" she yelled and everyone at the table fell silent.

Xena grabbed her granddaughter's arm. "That's it." She yanked her away and stormed off to a more private setting.

Gabrielle pushed the food around on her plate and Csaba buried his face in his hands. "How 'bout that wine?" she suggested.

Oran grinned and pointed at her. "Gabrielle, I knew I always liked you!" he lifted his glass. "Cousin, where's the wine?" Yeter shoved her husband and excused herself from the table and hurried out of the room. "What did I say?"

Ellac sipped the water and looked over at his daughter in law. "You look very lovely tonight, Farah." He tried to sway the subject to something lighter.

She emits a faint grin. "That's kind of you to say. Csaba, I want to go back to my room now." She placed a hand on his.

Anastasia threw the napkin on her full plate. "Let me help you." she offered and Csaba sighed. She went over to Farah and gripped her hand and helped her out of the chair.

* * *

Xena slammed the princess against the wall in the hall adjacent from the dining chamber. "What the hell was that?! You embarrassed yourself and everyone at the table!"

Arielle folded her arms and turned her cheek. "It's not fair! Balaam is my home and she's only queen because my father said so. I'm not a little girl anymore!"

"That remains to be seen." She grabbed the girl's chin and looked into her blue eyes. "I don't know what has gotten into you lately but you are impossible to deal with, Arielle. Your mother was nothing like you at your age. I don't understand it."

"That's because she was too busy rearing my brother. I'm not stupid enough to have a baby like she did."

Xena widened her eyes in surprise. She took a step back and smoothed her hands over her granddaughter's shoulders, desperately trying to hold herself back from slapping her. "Tomorrow is the party and you're going to come, well dressed and well  _behaved_." She grabbed a maid walking by. "Show the princess her quarters for the evening. Also, send a tray of food to her room. She will be eating alone tonight." She instructed and the maid nodded.

"No cruel punishment from you tonight?" the princess mused.

"Just wait until we back get to Pannonia, child."

* * *

Gabrielle finished her first glass of wine and Xena plopped back down next to her. She swallowed the alcohol and glanced over at her wife who was stabbing the food with a fork. "How'd it go?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She stabbed the meat and Gabrielle kept to herself. She looked around the table filled with conversation and frowned. "Where's Farah?"

"She went back to bed. Ana is with her."

Xena threw her fork down and leaned forward then tapped Oran's hand. "Where's the hashish?"

He smiled nervously. "Xena, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know you brought some. Where is it?"

"In my satchel…why?"

She nudged her head and he finished off the wine and left the table. Gabrielle gaped and turned around. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

Xena walked backwards, staring at her wife. "I'm going to  _relax_  before I slap the curls right out of my granddaughter's head." She winked and hooked arms with Oran.

* * *

Day one of the serata, guests swarmed the entire palace and there was barely any room for people to mingle and move around. Arielle was stationed in between Gabrielle and Xena, not having the best time. So far, she had been quiet but they both knew that Arielle was fuming inside. She didn't want to be here and that was apparent to everyone.

Arielle groaned and smoothed her hands down her black and gold dress that reached her knees, exposing her pants and knee high shiny boots that she received for her birthday from Navaz. She watched all the guests pass her by and she smiled briefly at them and went back to scowling. She spotted the long table filled with an assortment of food, desserts and drinks.

"I'm going to get some food," she started to walk off and both women pulled her back.

"You're not going anywhere where I can't keep my eye on you." said Xena.

"I'm just going to get food. I'll get a plate and come back here and stand by you so you both can babysit me." She grinned and pried both their hands off her shoulder and gently pushed her way through the crowd, pardoning herself.

Gabrielle tapped her fingers on the wine glass and stared at the princess. "She's a handful."

"Don't have to tell me twice." She sipped the wine and stuck her tongue out. "This wine is awful. Where's the wine Ernak brought?"

"You two drank it all last night."

"Oh, right." She smiled.

* * *

Arielle picked up a small gold saucer and observed the mass amount of food. She picked a few pastries off a huge plate and reached for watermelon and a hand touched hers across the table. A teenager with honey brown colored hair smiled at her and he retracted his hand.

"Go ahead," he insisted.

She took the piece he was reaching for and set it on her plate and walked down the table and he followed her. She lifted her eyes and frowned. "Why are you looking at me?"

"I've never seen you around here before." He came around the table and held the plate of food he had in his hand.

"I don't live here." She ignored him and she was trying to reach for a piece of bread and he was in her way. "Do you mind?"

He stepped aside and she grabbed the bread and he kept gawking at her. "Your outfit is very nice," he tried to make conversation with her. Arielle scoffed and turned around, gazing at the crowd and knew it was going to be hell to get through back to the wardens on the opposite side of the room. "My name is Mihail."

She had a mouthful of melon her mouth and she simply nodded. He set down his plate on the table and sighed. "I'm from west Banat, where are you from?" he asked.

She swallowed the melon and looked up at the boy who was desperately trying to talk to her. "North." She kept her answers very curt and vague.

"My father is one of the officers in the Banat army," he says proudly and she nodded and tore the bread in half and dipped it in a strange paste that she found on the table. "Is this your first time in Banat?"

"Unfortunately, no." she gave him a wiry grin and he nervously looked away.

"So," Mihail began, "who invited you to this party? It's very hard to get invited to a serata, let alone the queen's."

She coughed on the paste and set the half eaten food on the table and wiped her hands on her dress. Turning to the anxious boy she folded her arms, and he was waiting for her answer. "My brother invited me."

"Oh." His mood lightened. "Who's your brother?"

Her grin encompassed most of her face and she pointed at her king brother sitting next to Farah at the head of the room. Mihail's face paled and she slapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's been nice talking to you, Mihail, but I really should get going. Enjoy my sister in law's party." She left him dumbstruck and pushed her way through the sea of Szekely people.

* * *

Csaba kept a smile plastered on his face as people who he didn't even know passed by to wave or greet him for a brief moment. He looked over at his wife who had a strange serious look on her face. He grabbed her hand and sweat droplets dripped down her forehead. He reached over and wiped the sweat away with his hand.

"Are you alright? You've been acting strange all day."

Farah squeezed his hand so hard that he gasped. "I think I'm in labor."

He laughed. "That's a good one, Farah." He tried to pry his wife's fingers off his throbbing hand and he looked at her menacing frown.

"I'm glad you find this so amusing."

"Oh, you were serious." His stomach dropped and jumped out of the throne. "But you can't be in labor! This can't happen, it's a month early."

"It's  _happening_ …" she growled.

"Okay, I'll go get my mother. Just stay there and…and don't move!" he kissed her on the lips and he turned around, overwhelmed by the amount of people. He saw his sister trying to maneuver her way through the crowds and he yelled, "Arielle!"

The princess turned around with a frown and she pushed a tall man out of her way and approached her brother. "What?"

"Can you sit with Farah for a little bit? I'm going to find mother."

Arielle rose to her toes and stared at the queen behind her brother. "Why do I have to babysit your wife?"

"Because she says she's in labor. Get off your high horse, Arielle and just do something selfless for once."

"Fine."

"Thanks, I won't be long." He paddled her cheek and ran off to go look for Anastasia.

Arielle sauntered over and sat down in her brother's throne and nodded her head. She really wanted a throne like this in Balaam, but no, her position just had to be given to Yeter. Lucky for that Gokturk woman, she hadn't seen her all day and she hoped it'd stay that way. Her fingers graced the wooden carvings in the armrests and she looked over at Farah who had her palm on her forehead.

"You look very pretty today, Farah although you always look gorgeous anyway so I guess that's not really a compliment."

"Arielle," she put her hand up. "I am not in the mood for your sarcastic remarks."

The princess' smile died down and Farah breathed in heavily and exhaled slowly. She knew that this was not some kind of joke and she awkwardly tried to be nice to her sister in law. "Hey, so…um…aren't you supposed to have your baby next month?" she asked and Farah rubbed her left temple, closing her eyes tightly. "Maybe your body is just practicing…or something."

Farah gripped the throne's arm and heaved heavily. Arielle noticed people looking in their direction so she stood up and knelt down in front of the queen. "I'm sure my brother will be back any moment." She assured her. "Can you calm down?"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she yelled.

Arielle stood up and folded her arms. "I'm just trying to help."

"No, you're not! I don't need your words of  _encouragement_. Get away from me." She waved her hand.

Xena came over with Gabrielle and grabbed her granddaughter by the arm as soon as she saw Farah's pained face. "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything!" Arielle defended herself. "God, why am I always to blame for everything? I hate this entire family and I hate you too." she stormed off.

"Yeah well, I'm not too crazy about you right now either!" Xena yelled back and got a slap from her blonde wife. "What?"

"She just said that she hates you."

Xena smirked. "She'll get over it."

The Banat Queen pinched her nose and breathed in heavily and her knee bounced up and down as she waited patiently. She looked up at the two women with flushed cheeks and glazed over eyes. "I…need Csaba…"

Gabrielle looked around for the king and Xena came over to Farah and gripped her hand. "Where is he?"

"Looking…for his mother." She says breathily and squeezed the commander's hand. Xena's eyes bugged out and her fingers spread apart to lessen the pain. "He is taking too long!" she hissed.

Xena looked behind her and Oran was talking to a few of the Szekely soldiers. She whistled and that caught his attention. She waved her hand and he quickly excused himself and rushed over with a glass of wine. She pried Farah's fingers off her hand and winced.

"Oran I need you to carry Farah to her room."

He fearfully looked at the pregnant queen and back at Xena. "By  _myself_?" he whispered. She slapped his arm and pushed him forward. "Okay!" he gave the wine to her and rolled up his sleeves. "Evening, Farah," he smiled and she cast a grimace up at him.

He wrapped his arm behind her and bent down and scooped his arm underneath her legs. He took in a deep breath and slowly lifted her up off the throne and groaned, using his back to lift instead of his legs.

"Where's the room?" he grunted, struggling to hold the heavy queen in his arms. Farah pointed to the opposite side of the ballroom and his face paled.

"God almighty," he muttered. "Alright, off we go then." He paced quickly around the crowd, brushing up against the wall.

Farah had an arm around his neck and she narrowed her eyes. "You better not drop me."

"I would never," he snickered. "I've got you don't worry." He said to ease her concern. "Where's my cousin? Shouldn't he be doing this?"

"He…he's looking for…Anastasia," she exhaled deeply and covered her face with her hand, holding in the excruciating pain throughout her body.

He laughed and walked through a group of soldiers conversing together. "Last time I saw Anastasia she was already a bottle deep in wine."

"What?!" she screamed in his ear.

Xena sighed. "Anastasia is already drunk and it's not even two hours into the party and now Farah is in labor. What a night this is turning out to be."

"Yeah and to top it all off, Arielle is unsupervised and we have no idea where she is." Gabrielle added with a cheeky smile.

"Shit!" Xena turned around and looked over the sea of heads. "Gabrielle, go find her."

"Why don't  _you_  go find her?"

"Because I'm going to stay with Farah unless… _you_  want to." She raised her eyebrows.

Gabrielle did not like to be anywhere near Farah when she was in pain because that woman was beyond impossible to deal with. She nodded. "I'm on it."

* * *

Arielle rushed outside to one of the balconies and looked over the huge lit up city. She sighed deeply as her heart raced quickly. Mihail spotted her standing outside all alone and joined her. He stood next to her and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"The queen and king are absent from their thrones. Do you know anything about that? I saw you next to the queen." he tried to make conversation.

"You were watching me?" she scoffed and leaned over the balcony with her elbows resting on the railing.

"No, I was just looking…and I saw you."

She snorted. "Listen," she stood upright, "I don't feel like talking to anyone right now so could you just get lost?"

"Alright, I can take a hint." He played coy with her and backed away slowly. "My friends and I are going to a private party. Do you want to join us?"

She raised her eyebrow and turned around with her back against the balustrade. "Why would you invite me? You don't even know me."

"I know that you're a princess. I'm sure my friends would love to meet you. We have lots of wine imported from Egypt and opium from China but hey, if you'd rather hang around these people all night, be my guest." He smiled and went back into the palace.

Arielle frowned and followed him inside then grabbed his arm. "Where is this private party?"


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Gabrielle searched throughout the ballroom and asked several people if they saw Arielle but no luck turned her way. She didn't even know any of these people aside from her family from Pannonia and even then it was difficult to find them in a crowd. She looked in the hallways which were also filled with people. Even with Csaba's and Farah's absence, the party continued on as if nothing happened. Everyone here was oblivious to what was happening and perhaps that was for the best.

She walked through the huge palace and it was foreign to her. She hadn't exactly gotten a formal tour of the entirety of the Banat home. The palace was twice the size of the Adame and there were several rooms, probably over fifty of them. She stopped in the center of the foyer and eyed three staircases, unsure of which to go up first. Her eyes darted to the staircase to the left and the other to the right.

The Szekely citizens and soldiers made this place their home and conversed on the steps of the three stairwells casually. She knew this was a bad idea considering she had no idea where Arielle could be in this monstrous place and not everyone knew who Arielle was except the immediate family and the royal officers but sadly, she had no idea where to find those men in a palace this vast.

A servant passed her by carrying a tray of empty wine glasses. She grabbed the woman's arm. "Have you seen Princess Arielle?"

"Sorry, governor. I haven't seen her."

"Do you know where the rest of the children are?"

The servant pointed to the stairs in the center of the foyer. "The second room on the left is Prince Edemen's room. I saw the Gokturk boy in there with him and Princess Cera."

"Thank you," she smiled and glared at the stairs and quickly made her way up, bumping into a few women and men lingering on the steps.

* * *

Issik rolled the marbles onto the ground and knocked over one of the wooden dominos on Cera's side. He grinned and gathered the fallen dominos and collected them into his pile of winnings. "I win," he snickers and Cera shot her cousin a mean glare.

Edemen sighed and scratched his head. "Are you cheating?"

"No!" the Gokturk prince yelled.

"But you won three times already!"

"It's not my fault," Issik smiled at his cousin and Edemen knocked over all the domino pieces and folded his arms. Issik gasped. "You can't do that!"

"Yes I can!"

"No you can't."

"This is my room and I can do what I want," Edemen stood his ground and raised his chin.

Issik reached over and pinched his cousin to which Cera buried her face in her hands, dreading to volunteer to babysit these two. Ede pinched him back and the two pinched each others' arms and screamed loudly in unison.

Gabrielle walked in and ran over and grabbed the princes' by their robes and pulled them apart. "Hey! What is going on?" she asked them both and the boys glared at one another. The two looked much like their mothers when the two had a staring contest of their own.

Edemen rubbed his arm. "He pinched me!"

"No, I didn't," replied Issik.

She groaned and looked over at the princess. Cera played referee and pointed at Issik in silence. "Why can't you two ever play nice?" she pushed Edemen gently away from the Gokturk boy. "Go sit over there for awhile."

"But it's  _my_  room!" he whined.

"Go!" she ordered and he stomped off and sat in the corner on a large pillow and stared at the wall, muttering to himself. She turned Issik around and pointed to the other side of the room. "You; over there."

He frowned up at her. "You can't make me go."

"Try me," she challenged and he walked over to the corner, unwilling to fight with her. He plopped down and crossed his arms, staring at the wall. She sighed heavily and placed her hands on her hips. She had enough of babysitting royal children for one night.

She finally directed her attention to Cera who was being very patient with the boys. "Have you seen your sister?"

Cera shook her head.

"That's just  _great_. Keep an eye on those two," she said and the princess gave her two thumbs up with a big smile.

* * *

Xena unbuttoned the back of Farah's dress as fast as she could. She kept eyeing the door hoping Rabia would come in at any moment. She sent Oran to go find her awhile ago and he had yet to return. She turned back and was getting frustrated by the amount of buttons on the dress.

Farah wiped the sweat off her brow and planted a hand on her knee. "I don't feel well."

"I wouldn't think so…" she mumbled and took out the dagger in her belt and sliced through the dress.

"Did you just cut my dress?" she asked.

"That's what you're worried about right now?" Xena sheathed the blade and shimmed the tight dress of the queen's arms and shoulders. Farah felt some of the heat escape her body and slipped the dress off her body and it fell to the floor. She adjusted the straps on her shoulder of her under-dress and paused for a moment as a wave of nausea hit her.

Xena tried to push her into bed and Farah raised her hand. "What is it now?" she waits patiently and looked at Farah's incredibly pale face. "Farah?"

The queen's eyelids lowered and she pushed the commander away and vomited over the edge of the bed. Xena dared to look down and gasped at the vomit all over her boots. All that hard work polishing her boots for hours went to waste in a short few seconds.

Farah wiped her mouth and stared at the disgusted commander. "I…I'm sorry."

"It's fine." She stood up and helped the Banat queen to lie against the pillows. "I will go check if Oran's found Rabia."

"Please don't leave me," she grabbed her hand.

Xena raised her eyebrow and could think of quite a few places she'd rather be right now but since there was nobody here she sat back down on the bed.

* * *

Csaba searched through several rooms in his home and finally walked in a private room where he found his parents sitting at a table with his two uncles and some of his officers. Anastasia sat at the end of the table and held a few cards in her hand. She was the only woman at the table playing the card game and Csaba frowned, marching inward.

His officers stood up and he raised his hand. Ellac greeted him with a nod of his head while Anastasia stared at everyone waiting to place down her cards. It was hard for everyone to judge what she was thinking as she had an expressionless face. She placed down her five cards and all the men's mouths gaped.

"I win again," she said and put out her hands. "As promised, boys –your coin."

"Mother, I need you," Csaba whispered in her ear.

"I am playing a game,  _tatli cocuk_ ," she reached above her and pat him on the cheek.

He looked at everyone at the table and Ellac nudged his wife. "Anastasia…"

"What?" she turned to him and his eyes drifted to their impatient son. She spun around in the chair and Csaba folded his arms.

"Farah is in labor and she needs you."

She smiled. "No, she's not. It's too early for that." She turned back around and gave her cards to Ernak who began shuffling the deck. Csaba grabbed his mother's arm and she glared at him. He immediately took his hand off and backed away, fearing he overstepped his boundaries.

Ernak cleared his throat. "You should…go with him, Ana," he suggests easing the tension at the table.

"I'll be back." She rose and all the men stood up and she turned to her son with a frown then brushed by him and left the room.

Ellac sat down first and everyone followed after him. "We play again?" he whispered.

"We aren't going to wait for her?" asked Dengi.

"She's not going to be coming back. Ernak, deal the cards." He waved his hand and the youngest brother nodded and dealt the cards to everyone at the table.

The Banat officer smiled and pulled his cards close to his chest to see what he was working with. "The queen is very good at this game for her first time."

Ellac nodded. "She makes it a point to be good at every single game."

"Queen Farah is quite good at this game as well. I'd love to see them play together."

Dengi laughed aloud and spread his cards out, concealing his possible winnings. "Farah will not allow Anastasia to lose. This may be Farah's homeland but Ana owns it. Word of advice; don't piss her off."

Ellac slapped his brother on the shoulder. "Can we play?" he muttered and Dengi kept his smile locked away for another time.

* * *

Mihail led his new found guest to a large mansion on the other side of the camp. Arielle looked back at the palace and it wasn't too far away, maybe a few yards, but it was far enough. He opened the door and whistled.

"Are you coming?"

She turned around and nodded then followed him inside the large home. Her eyes looked around at all the draperies, paintings and one big statue in the center of the foyer. She walked around the statue and reached out to touch it until Mihail grabbed her hand.

"This way," he grinned and pointed towards a room off to the side.

"After you," she waved her hand elegantly, mocking the fine tuned teenager. He stared at her a moment too long and then went ahead of her into the room. She glanced around the elaborate place and it certainly was fancier than her home. The Adame was very plain compared to this mansion. In her home there were no paintings or statues or marble floors. The entire place was made of wood but there was one thing she had that these people didn't –their land.

Mihail smiled at his friends and they all stood up when they saw Arielle walk in. "This is a princess from Pannonia," he introduced her. She folded her arms and took a good look at the teenagers, female and male, sitting together.

"You mingle with both sexes?" she inquired.

A few of the Banat boys chuckled and Mihail looked at her strangely. "Yes, don't you?"

She suspiciously eyed the water pipes lying around the room. "No, the women in my land aren't allowed to unless they're married."

"Pannonia must be a boring place then," one of the boys alleged. "So is it true what people say about Hun women?"

"What do you mean?" she asked and took a look around the room for herself and the girls gawked at her with curiosity and a bit of apprehension. She ignored them and stared at the hot coals on the water pipe heating up the opium inside. She recognized that smell anywhere as she was very familiar with it.

"That you women are excellent in bed," he implied.

Arielle smirked and turned to the outspoken boy. "Is that what you think?"

"Isn't it true? I hear all the men have several wives."

"Only the princes and kings are allowed to marry several women." She folded her arms and nudged her head at the water pipe. "It's better if you chew the pods instead of smoking it."

Mihail lounged on one of the couches. "You've done opium before?"

"No but my father has poppy fields." She refused to talk about her mother having a slight addiction to the flower which Ellac did his best to keep that a secret from her when she was younger.

Mihail pulled out a pouch of the flower pods and dropped it next to her boots. "This is from China. It is supposedly the best so we hear."

She picked up the bag and pulled out a handful. She smiled at all the Szekelys. "This is not from China," she tossed the bag back at Mihail. "My brother used to live there and I can tell you this opium is not from China. Whoever sold that to you, lied."

The boy who blatantly spoke to her earlier stood up and pushed one of the girls off him. "You seem to be very knowledgeable about this. Perhaps you can sell us some of the pods from your father's fields?"

She laughed. "Yeah right."

"Or you're lying."

"I have no reason to lie to you."

"Then why don't you smoke some with me?" he grinned and touched her shoulder.

She slapped his hand and took a step backward. The others giggled at the slight tension between the two. "I am not smoking  _anything_  with you and if you touch me again I'll cut off your hand."

Mihail stood with a bottle of wine in his hand and stepped in between her and his friend. "Don't mind Sherzi, he's a little hotheaded," he glared at him and Arielle raised her eyebrow. "Would you like some wine instead?"

Sherzi made his way over back to where he sat and stared at the princess. "I didn't catch your name."

"Arielle," she said curtly and grabbed the bottle of wine from Mihail.

* * *

Gabrielle rushed into the queen's room and ran over to the bed. "Xena, I can't find her anywhere," she relayed and backed away when she saw Farah vomiting into a pan which Rabia held under her mouth. "Oh…what is going on?"

Xena frowned. "Where is Anastasia? Have you seen her?"

"No…no I haven't. What's wrong with her?" she asked of the sickly queen.

"I don't know," she held back Farah's hair and turned away as the queen vomited some more. The sight of it was making her ill. "Where is her midwife?" she asked, refusing to look as the queen continued to retch in the pan.

Rabia frowned at her ill sister and looked over at Gabrielle who was horrified. "We don't have a midwife. We have a physician who lives across the city. I've sent someone for him already."

"Your physician is a  _man_?!" Xena whipped her head around.

"He's very good. He'll be here soon."

Anastasia walked into the room with her son behind her. She saw Farah leaned over the side of the bed with viscous liquid hanging off the sides of her mouth. "What the hell is wrong with her?" she asked and Csaba came around to inspect his wife. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him towards the door.

"I want to see!" he protested.

"Get out!" she yelled and pushed him out of the room. "I will come for you later." She closed the doors and Xena gladly switched places with her. Ana sat down next to her daughter in law and held her hair back from her face. "Are you in any pain?"

Farah slowly nodded her head but was too focused on the pan below her and coughed violently. Rabia cringed and turned her cheek.

Xena sighed and grabbed her wife's arm, leading her to the doors. "What do you mean you can't  _find_  her?" she whispered.

Gabrielle tried to block out Farah's constant vomiting and stared at the doors. "I looked everywhere in this palace and she's not here."

"God dammit. Come on, we're going to find her."

"Is Farah going to be alright?"

"I don't really know but I'll tell who's  _not_  going to be  _alright_. When we find Arielle, I'm going to slap her." She swung open the doors and ignored Csaba as he was about to speak to her.

Gabrielle ran after her. "You don't mean that, do you?"

"We'll see how my mood is when we find her."

"None of this would have happened if you hadn't yelled at her."

The commander halted and looked down at her wife. "She does what she wants. Since when do I come in the way of that girl's thinking? This has nothing to do with me yelling at her earlier."

"I'm telling you, you're too hard on her."

"Oh please."

Gabrielle folded her arms. "It isn't hard to figure out, Xena. She's mad at you so she left. She's not here! I checked everywhere!"

"She can't go anywhere. She doesn't have her horse and she'll be in a heap of trouble if she stole mine. She knows better."

"Do you think someone…took her?"

Xena looked around the hallways and a few of the Szekely women shied away from her. "We'll ask Csaba's men to search the perimeters around the palace and we'll go on foot. She can't be far."

* * *

Arielle sat on a couch in between two girls and one of them was sitting a little too close for her liking. She tried to get up but felt like the room was spinning. She peered into the wine she held and blinked several times to steady her blurry vision. Only two glasses –she only had two glasses. She's had wine before but she didn't remember ever feeling this awful before.

She wasn't really sure what was going on except that the Banat boys in the room were playing games with the girls. Some sat on the floor together, others in chairs and on couches. She set down the wine glass on the table in front of her and looked down at her boots –two pairs of boots she saw.

"I need…to get back to my family," she muttered and tried to get up and Mihail grabbed her arm and told the girls to vacate. He sat down and pulled her down with him.

"You're the one who wanted to come to this party," he says and touched her long hair.

She pulled away slowly and frowned at him with glossy eyes. "Do…do not touch me." She grabbed the edge of the couch and scooted her body over to the other side to get away. "They…will come looking for me. I should really go…"

Sherzi chuckled at the princess struggling to get off the couch. "You can't go back to the serata in the condition you're in. Stay here with us, Arielle."

"No!" she stood up and fell backwards onto Mihail's lap. She exhaled slowly and her body fell limp and her eyes closed. Her head lolled to the side and he stared at her then lifted her up onto the couch. He grabbed her legs and swung them over the side of the couch.

"What are we supposed to do with her now?" he asked his friends.

Sherzi pushed a girl off his lap and sauntered over to the knocked out princess. "Take off her clothes," he pushed his friend forward. He received a strange look from Mihail. "Come on, don't you want to see what is so special about these Hun women? Look at her. She's not going to fight us."

"I didn't bring her here so you could fuck her, Sherzi."

"Then what did you bring her here for?" he shoved him aside and took out his dagger and sliced through her black and gold robe and ripped it open. He stared at her brassiere and slid the blade beneath the front clasp and sliced through the thick fabric. His eyes widened as did his smile, staring at her ample breasts.

Mihail grabbed his friend's wrist. "Stop it! She's unconscious."

"Get away from me!" he pushed him onto the ground and grabbed Arielle's arm, hoisting her limp body upward and took off the robe and brassiere then threw them onto the floor. Her arm fell to the floor and her hair draped over her face as her body leaned against him.

The doors swung open and Banat soldiers stormed into the room. All of the young Szekely girls scattered and the boys backed away, dropping their glasses and hoses from the water pipes around the room. Gabrielle ran inside and saw Arielle's topless body lying on a couch with a teenager standing over her.

The soldiers grabbed several of the girls who tried to flee and knocked over the hot water pipes and broke all of the wine bottles in sight. Gabrielle took out her sword sheathed at her hips and charged at Sherzi. He spun around and he ran in the opposite direction. She twirled the sword around and rammed it through his gut without taking a second to think and charged his body into the wall with a loud thud.

He gasped and looked down at the blood seeping from his stomach. She forced the blade in further until it hit the wooden wall behind him which he leaned on. His body convulsed and he looked into her hungry eyes. She pulled the blade out and he slid against the wall, his hand gripping the wound.

Breathing heavily, she stared at the puddle of blood beneath him and turned around to her wife who just entered the room. Xena looked at her a bit surprised and somewhat horrified at the amount of blood that boy bled out and not to mention the blood on the governor's blade.

Gabrielle looked at her blood stained sword and lowered it slowly. All of the teenagers were silent as they witnessed a murder in the city, which was unheard of. There were hardly any murders in Banat unlike Pannonia where it seemed to be the norm.

Xena turned her attention to her granddaughter, passed out on the couch with her entire torso and breasts exposed to everyone. She took off her coat and placed it over her then picked her up and looked at her wife again.

"He…he was going to rape her," she defended her actions and the commander slowly nodded then walked away with Arielle in her arms.

Mihail was detained by a soldier and watched in horror as his friend lay on the floor in a big pool of crimson. "You killed him!" he yelled at her.

The commanding officer rushed into the room albeit a little late to the party so to speak. He glanced around the decimated room and spotted his son, Mihail, detained by one of the soldiers he trained on a day to day basis. His son turned away in shame, unable to look him in the eye.

Xena walked up to the officer with Arielle in her arms. He straightened himself out and cleared his throat. "Are you in charge here?"

"Yes, commander. Officer Yuri," he introduced himself.

"Well, Yuri, I suggest you keep a better eye on what's happening outside the palace. If I were in charge of this place, this would have never happened and you'd be  _dead_." She bumped his shoulder and walked out of the large mansion.

He lowered his gaze, quite embarrassed how this was handled. The soldiers took the teenagers out of the mansion and Gabrielle glared at him then hurried out. He grimaced at his son who was the only one left in the room. He waved his hand at the guard to release Mihail.

"You brought these people into  _my_  home!" he yelled at his son. "You embarrassed me in front of the Hun commander!"

Mihail hung his head in shame and fear.

Yuri slapped his son across the face and Mihail stumbled into a table with a couple of vases. "Now all of the Huns will know what happened here and I will be the one to blame! Not you!"

"I'm…I'm sorry father."

"Get out of my sight."

Mihail quickly ran up the stairs and Yuri sighed then spotted the teen corpse sprawled out in his sitting area. He needed to tend to other matters at the palace as he was sure he was going to be reamed for due to his son's impromptu party.

* * *

Xena walked back into the flourishing serata with Arielle in her arms. She tried to remain as discreet as possible but it was difficult with all eyes on her carrying an unconscious girl in her arms. She ignored the unsettling stares and whispered to her wife.

"Go tell Csaba what happened. I'll take her upstairs."

Gabrielle tried to get rid of the blood on her hands by wiping her hands on her pants repeatedly. She continued onward down the long huge hallway and Csaba sat outside his wife's bedroom, waiting patiently for hours. She stopped in front of him and he didn't even notice she was there. He kept his ears open and listened to Farah crying mostly from behind closed doors.

"Csaba, we have a situation and you need to deal with it."

He looked up at her with red eyes from sobbing. "Whatever it is, I don't care. I'm waiting here."

She sighed and folded her arms. "Arielle went to an officer's house and she was almost raped."

That caught his attention and he stood up, staring at the doors and back to her. "Who is responsible for this?"

"He…I killed…him," she choked out and he stood in silence. "It was…at Yuri's home. He's your commanding officer, isn't he?"

Csaba frowned and balled his fists. "Where is he and where's Arielle?"

"Xena has her upstairs. I –I don't know where he is."

He nodded and gripped her shoulder. "Can you check on Farah for me? I will find Yuri and talk to him." He stormed down the hall without receiving her answer. She looked down at her hands once more and felt disgusted at herself for reacting without thinking. She never thought she'd do something like that –that was Xena's drive –kill now, think later –not hers.

She focused on the task at hand and opened the door to a lot of blood on the bed. More blood. Just what she needed to see. Anastasia turned around, fearing that her son was the one at the entrance.

"Gabrielle, close the door."

She did as told and approached the bed slowly, eyeing the blood soaked sheets and Farah holding onto Rabia's hand, sobbing profusely. She wasn't present for Farah's previous birth but she had been in the room with Anastasia before and never had she seen so much blood.

"Is…she okay?"

Ana stood and pulled her hair back and fanned her face. "I'm not sure," she said quietly, not to alarm the distraught Banat queen. "I gave her an herb to stop the bleeding and I think it's working for now. We'll have to wait and see. Don't tell Csaba you saw any of this."

Gabrielle nodded. "Of course."

* * *

The maids bombarded the guest room where Arielle stayed but as much as they wanted to help, Xena kicked them out so she could tend to the princess by herself. The maids did change her clothes and dress her hair as they would for Farah every day. She lay in bed with an arm sprawled across the pillow and her mouth slightly ajar.

Xena tucked the blankets beneath Arielle's hips so she wouldn't roll over onto her stomach. She leaned in close and smelled her breath and pulled away slowly. Wine for sure, but something else –something bitter and that substance was not present in any kind of wine that she knew of. She saw the boys and girls in that large estate. Everyone appeared to be normal despite the opium in the room which left a hefty stench on their clothes.

Nobody was passed out like Arielle was. They were all self aware and tried to run in horror of the soldiers barging into the room. They were afraid of being caught as they should be. It didn't take long to search the surrounding homes around the palace since Csaba's men were able to go through the homes fairly quickly. Xena stared at her granddaughter, wondering what prompted her to leave in the first place and who took her to that home?

Many years ago she was in Troy when she left Anastasia behind for a short time but in that short time, she was taken advantage of by a group of boys. They not only stripped her of her clothing, but humiliated her and Gurgis raped her, one of the older boys of the bunch. If Ellac hadn't been there to help her, they might have killed her.

She made it a point that Gurgis was set on dying so she rode to Pannonia where she was exiled by Attila due to her deception towards him and the Romans at the time. And when she found Gurgis –she killed him without hesitation. That was her mission; to kill a boy. And now Gabrielle had done the exact same thing except they weren't in Pannonia and it was instant. That boy didn't have a chance to live but as far as she could tell, he wasn't able to do anything to Arielle aside from humiliating her while unconscious.

But one thing that was interesting –that estate belonged to Yuri and he was one of the higher officers in the Banat army. That didn't bode well for the man and she hoped Csaba was going to reprimand him for allowing those teenagers to take advantage of his home.

Gabrielle came into the room and was able to wash the blood, or at least some of it, off her hands. Xena turned to her wife and traced her fingers along Arielle's bare arm. "How is she?"

"As far as I know, she's fine."

"Xena, I…I'm sorry for what I said. It wasn't your fault that she left."

She raised her hand. "It doesn't matter. She does what she wants but I don't think she expected this to happen to her." She stared at Arielle's moist lips and frowned. "There was something in that wine she drank. It was only in hers. Everyone else in that room was perfectly fine except her. She had no idea."

The governor nodded and sat on the bed next to Arielle. "I killed that boy, Xena. I killed him without thinking."

"Who knows how many other girls he's violated?" Xena said to make her blonde wife feel better. "We came in at the right time. Do you feel remorseful?" she asks seriously.

Gabrielle looked over at Arielle and couldn't think of any other reason except that she was angry when she saw that boy. "No. He deserved it. Maybe he didn't have to die…but like you said, he's probably done it before. I did the right thing, didn't I?"

Xena smiled and grabbed her wife's hand. "If you think it was the right thing to do then it was. You just used your natural instincts. When you care about someone you will do anything to protect them."

She smiled, a bit relieved that she didn't have to feel guilty about this –about killing that boy. "This wasn't how I imagined this night would be."

"The guests are oblivious to what's going on."

"I told Csaba what happened. He's going to handle it. I don't know what he's going to do but I don't think it'll be good…" she dreaded what was to happen to Officer Yuri and those teenagers. "I…checked on Farah."

Xena lifted her head and stared at her concerned and uncertain wife.

"There was a lot of blood on the sheets. It doesn't look like she's doing well," she hated to admit.

All negative thoughts cast aside, the commander focused on the positive. "I'm sure Ana is doing the best she can to help her."

* * *

Into the early hours of the morning, all the guests had long gone and Csaba was able to talk to his officer about what happened to his sister. He placed him under arrest until he had the time and energy to deal with him later. He also asked his men to arrest all of the teenagers until they were given a proper punishment and for them to explain what happened in that house since he was not present.

Riddled with exhaustion from one night's events he took to the spot where he stayed outside the bedroom waiting to hear of his wife's and child's condition. He fell asleep on the bench sitting up and his head reared back against the wall.

Prince Edemen walked down the long hallway, dressed for the day and ready to go. He and the other children retired early and hadn't the slightest idea what went on within and outside the palace walls. He smoothed out his robe and smiled at his father then ran over to him. He tugged on Csaba's arm.

"Dad…" he whispered and Csaba jolted awake. Edemen grinned and climbed onto the bench. "Why you sleeping out here?"

He rubbed one of his eyes and stared at his curious son. No longer did he hear his wife or any of the women inside that room, which was either a good thing or a bad thing. He wondered how long he'd been asleep but judging that sun was high in the sky and shining through the windows, he guessed quite a long time.

"I was waiting for your grandmother to tell me if anything happened to your mother."

The boy's face contorted in confusion. "Something's wrong with mom?"

He hoped not. "No, she's fine," he told him although he knew nothing himself. Finally, Anastasia emerged from the bedroom and looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep all night. He stood up and Edemen smiled, happy to see her.

"She's okay," she said to alleviate his concerns and Csaba exhaled deeply. "Your doctor is very good. He should come work for me," she tried to jest but he didn't find that funny. "She's asleep and on a lot of sedatives right now so you won't be able to talk to her for several hours."

"And the baby?"

Anastasia's smile widened. "Is fine. The physician had to perform a cesarean." Telling her son this was not something he wanted to hear, especially since his child wasn't due for another month. "It was too dangerous not to, Csaba."

"Well…can I see the baby?"

Edemen gasped. "The baby is here? Wow I missed everything!"

Ana grinned and pinched his chin. Her son was about to head inside and she held onto the handle. "Before you go in there, you're going to be a little surprised."

"Surprised? What does that mean? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that," she swore. She knelt down in front of Edemen. "Do you want to go and see?"

"Yeah!" he nodded excitedly.

"You have to be really quiet, okay?" she put her finger to her mouth and Edemen copied her, promising to be as quiet as possible.

Csaba walked into the room and saw his wife sleeping sitting up with her head against a mound of pillows. He searched for his child who should have been close to her but wasn't. He walked around the room and entered a room adjacent from the bedroom and close to the baths. He didn't appreciate his mother's cryptic words which unnerved him.

He stopped at the doorway and Rabia was leaning over a bassinet. She turned around and he smiled softly, afraid to come any closer. She stepped out of the way and raised a mischievous eyebrow at him before going to tend to her sister. He frowned and wondered why all these women were being so strange around him. First his mother, now Rabia.

Ana walked in with Edemen holding her hand. He was anxious to see his sibling and let go of her hand and ran to stand beside his father. Csaba approached the bassinet and was expecting the worst. He looked down below and his eyes widened.

"I wanna see!" Edemen whispered loudly and he poked his head over the bassinet. "Two brothers?" he slapped his cheek in shock. "This is the best day ever!" he clenched his fists tightly and stared at his small brothers sleeping side by side together.

Csaba stood speechless, gaping at the two babies in astonishment. His mother put a hand on his shoulder. " _Surprise_ ," she whispered.

"I don't know what to say."

Edemen tugged on his father's leg. "What are their names?"

"I…don't know," he said and couldn't take his eyes off the small babies.

The prince leaned over the bassinet, smiling at his new siblings. "Can I hold them?" he lifted his eyes up at Anastasia.

"Maybe in a little while." She picked him up and turned to the anxious king. "Don't speak all at once now,  _tatli_   _cocuk_ ," she teased and nudged his cheek with her knuckle. "I'll come back later."

* * *

Gabrielle slept on the bed with Arielle while Xena slept in the chair beside her. The princess woke up, coughing and foam coming out of her mouth. Xena jarred herself awake and grabbed her arm, pulling her off the pillows and leaned her over the bed. Gabrielle rubbed her eyes as soon as she heard Arielle coughing. She sat up and pulled back Arielle's hair away from her face.

Xena regrettably stuck her fingers down Arielle's throat. The girl gagged and finally upchucked all the wine she drank last night all over her grandmother's boots. Xena sighed and had quite enough of women vomiting all over her boots. Twice now, she noted. Arielle cringed, staring at the red liquid all over the floor and plopped back down onto the pillows, wiping her lips.

"What…the fuck," she ran her hand across her face and Gabrielle frowned at her. "What am I doing in here?"

"We brought you here. Do you remember what happened last night?"

Arielle nodded. "I went to a party but…I don't remember anything else."

Gabrielle was thankful that she remembered nothing else. The truth would come out sooner or later but for now, it was best that things were kept a secret.

Xena bent over and picked up an opium pod in the pool of wine vomit. "Those boys drugged your wine."

"That bastard, Sherzi," the princess muttered.

"Who is Sherzi?"

"The stupid guy with dark hair. He was all over me last night. Mihail brought me to this party at some big house. I don't remember anything else."

Gabrielle got off the bed and lowered her eyes. Xena wiped her hands on her pants and stared at her worried wife.

"What?" asked Arielle. She was not oblivious to the awkward silence in the room.

"Arielle," her grandmother began, "we found you passed out on a couch in that house. You were topless." The moment she said that, the teenager wrapped her arms protectively around her breasts. "Gabrielle killed that boy, Sherzi."

She frowned and didn't know whether to be extremely angry or start crying uncontrollably. All of those people knew what she looked like. She felt violated and she wasn't even awake to see or feel it happen. She stared at the two women who appeared to be very sympathetic and apologetic.

"I…want to go home." She swung the blankets off and got out of bed to her chest of clothes that she brought with her. She pulled out a fresh pair of pants and robes to wear, not caring if she needed to bathe or not. She'd feel better once she was in her own home and room. This had to be the worst week of her life yet. She failed her test and now this.

* * *

They left her alone and went to Edemen's room, hoping he'd be awake so they could say goodbye. If Arielle wanted to leave then that meant they'd have to leave too because she didn't have her own horse and there was no way they were going to let her travel alone. They walked into the prince's room and Anastasia was asleep on the floor.

Edemen grabbed a blanket off his bed and covered her with it, brushing her hair away from her face. Gabrielle chuckled and he turned around. "Shh," he whispered, "grandma is sleeping."

"Rough night?" commented Xena.

He ran over to them and grabbed their hands, leading them outside his room to allow Anastasia to sleep soundly. They played along and he closed the large double doors and spun around with a big smile. "Guess what!"

Gabrielle nudged her wife. "What?"

"My mom had two babies so now I have two brothers. I am so excited. I will teach them how to use a bow one day."

Their eyes widened in surprise. "Two brothers, huh?"

"Yeah! You wanna see them? I'll take you." he grabbed their hands and pulled them down the hall. "Follow me, ladies," he instructed as he went step by step down the stairs. They laughed lightly and followed him while holding his hands.

* * *

Csaba sat next to Farah who was still sleeping in bed. He held both of his small sons in his arms and was unsure what do with the two babies even though he's had a child before he wasn't expecting two of them at once. Perhaps in a few years but not now. Rabia mentioned to him that Farah had no idea about the twin boys because she passed out in the middle of the operation due to exhaustion and had been knocked out ever since. She wondered what her reaction was going to be when she finally awakened.

He stared at his sons and they looked exactly the same. He was worried he wasn't going to be able to tell them apart and he hadn't the slightest idea what their names were going to be either. Edemen walked in and he panicked and had no one to pass off the babies to because his wife was still sleeping.

Xena and Gabrielle followed in after and their jaws dropped, seeing Csaba holding two babies in his arms. Edemen ran over and peered into his father's arms, enchanted by his brothers. "Can I hold them now? Please, I'll be real careful!"

Csaba groaned and looked at his grandmother. "A little help?"

She walked over and grabbed one of the babies from him and Gabrielle rose to her toes to see the small infant. Csaba stood up slowly and pointed to the chair. "Sit there," he said and Edemen climbed into the chair, holding his arms out anxiously. He knelt down and carefully placed the baby in his elder son's arms.

Edemen smiled and stared at his baby brother in his arms. "He's so small!" he whispered.

"They look almost the same, Csaba," said Gabrielle.

He nodded. "Farah's going to be in for a real shock when she wakes up," he kept a close eye on Edemen who was being very still and quiet for once. "I arrested Yuri and the other teenagers at the party. I will deal with them when I can. Is Arielle alright?"

Xena handed off the baby to him, hating to do so. "She's alright now but she wants to go home. We're going to leave today with her. Your parents will probably stay here and take Cera back with them later. Your mother is asleep in Ede's room."

"This was a horrible yet eventful party," he noted and stared at his son in his arms. "Tell Arielle I will make sure everyone will have repercussions for what happened."

"We will," she said and smiled at the amazed prince in the chair. "Hopefully when we meet again, it won't be quite like what happened last night…" she hoped.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42 – _God's Way of The Sword_

Arielle skipped over to her grandmother's yurt and spied on her and Gabrielle packing for their trip to Constantinople. She overheard them and Ellac talking about it for the last few days. She really wanted to go and asked twice but of course she was denied each time. Her grandmother was ordering around the young recruits to pack the wagon with supplies, food and water. They weren't doing a very good job by the sound of it.

She constantly barked at them and the boys dropped a few bags out of fear. Arielle smiled and Gabrielle came out of the yurt with a bag to trap to her horse. She immediately saw the eager princess and quickly walked by her, avoiding eye contact.

"So, planning for the trip, huh?" she pried.

"Yup." Gabrielle flung the bag over the saddle and tied it down with a couple of ropes. She waited for the dreaded question in silence.

Arielle leaned on the yurt with a knee propped up. "Can I  _please_  come with you guys?"

The governor tightened the stirrups and looked over at the sly princess over the edge of the saddle. "You know what the answer is going to be."

"Oh come on!" she kicked the yurt wall and ran around to face the irritated governor. "I'm going to be stuck here with Ellac and Kreka! They don't let me out of their sights! Let me come. I won't be a bother, promise."

"Arielle, no." She grabbed the bottles of wine and handed them off to a recruit to set them in the wagon. "Behave for Kreka and don't mouth off to her or you'll be sorry. She's in charge of combat while we're away. Don't give her a hard time."

The princess scoffed. "Me? Never." She waved her hand dismissively. "I can out run her if I have to."

Gabrielle smirked and picked up a bag of grain and plopped it down into the wagon. "Don't let her seamstress skills fool you, Arielle. She is very good with a sword. They don't call her a barbarian queen for nothing."

"This sucks," she pouted. "You're leaving tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yes and you should be studying."

"What's the point of studying anymore? I failed!" she stomped off back home.

Xena grabbed one of the recruits by his collar and lifted him a few inches off the ground. "If you drop one more bag of grain, I'll cut you."

He bobbed his head. "Yes, commander! I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize to me!" she threw him aside. "Get back to work," she ordered and turned around to see her wife with a glimmering smile. "What are you smiling at?"

Gabrielle laughed. "Maybe they'd stop dropping so many things if you'd stop yelling at them."

"I'm not their mother. It's my job." She grabbed her coat and flung it over her horse. "Besides, I like it."

"Oh, I know you do." She tossed a skin of water at her wife. "Arielle was trying to weasel her way into coming with us again."

The commander rolled her eyes. "She's so hungry for action but when she's finally faced with it, she runs to her room and cries her little eyes out." She took a swig of water and wiped her mouth. Her wife had an unnerved look upon her face which was most unpleasant to look at. "I'm just being honest. She was horrified after she went on the raid with me."

"Yeah…" she spat some water in her wife's face and walked over to stand beside her. "What are we supposed to do at this church?"

Xena wiped her face and scowled. "It's called the Hagia Sophia and we're supposed to spy on Justinian's wife and the priests there. I don't know why Anastasia assigned this to us. She knows I don't like going to any holy sites. I don't tend to have much luck in those places."

* * *

In Shah Hormizd's camp, his cousins, Erzibet and Balash, rounded up the kidnapped Sabir women. Erzibet pointed to the tents and ordered her cousin's, who is also her husband, men to tie them up inside the tents. The Sabir women struggled against the Persians. They badmouthed them and called them obscene phrases as they were pushed into the tent.

Erzibet entered and stared at all of the pale faced, dark haired women. She folded her arms and they did not seem to acknowledge her until they were all tied with their arms behind their backs. She walked over to one woman with fairer hair than the rest of the five women. She had big green eyes unlike the others who had dark, almost black eyes.

She tipped the girl's chin upward and smiled. "The Huns have really stooped so low to keep Sabirs living among them."

"King Navaz is good to us."

Erzibet nods and pursed her mouth. "I have no doubt. The Huns are very hospitable when they want to be unless you cross them. They'll tear you apart like the wild animals they are. They'll even marry you off to someone to keep you quiet." She smiled eerily and the Sabir woman spat in her face.

She gagged and slapped the Sabir across the cheek and stood. "Your queen should have finished off all of Attila's clan. Now my cousin has to finish what she left behind."

"What is the point in keeping us here? We are nothing to you."

Erzibet wiped the saliva off her face with a cloth and smiled at the fair haired Sabir. "You have a purpose; it's called shock value."

* * *

Bolgaris frantically walked around the camp, searching for the shah. He pushed people out of his way and there was Hormizd speaking with his vizier of course. That man was never without his viziers. "Hormizd!" he yelled, catching the Persian's attention.

"Kidarite king, what can I do for you?"

"My brother took all of my men and went to Byzantine territory," he breathed deeply through his nostrils. Frustrated at his brother's sudden decision, he was left all alone with these Persians and Vandals.

Hormizd folded his arms and dismissed his vizier. "Why is that of any concern to me?"

"He took my men! They went willingly with him! I have nobody now. That hag commander killed all of my other tribe members at the Black Sea."

"How did you come by this information?" he completely disregarded the Hun king's feelings for the loss of his small army. He was deduced to being a nobody now. No people to govern, no brother to order around.

Bolgaris copied the shah's stance and raised his chin. "Bayan goes to Pannonia periodically to spy on them."

The shah nodded and rubbed his beard. "Interesting that your brother would risk his life going all the way to Pannonia and bring you valuable information. Well," he laughed lightly, "it matters not if you have no army. You are my ally now so we share an army. I am not concerned with the Pannonians as of right now. The Vandals are preoccupied with other Huns."

"Which tribe?" he was not privy to this information until now.

* * *

Soran spent most of his summer inside his room, painting. He wished his father would let him go to Pannonia to see his sister and the rest of his extended family. There were more children there and Sabir children weren't exactly very eager to associate with him. There weren't many children at all and most of them were either too young or way too old like Csaba.

He liked hanging around Cera when he was in Pannonia and he did somewhat like being around Ebnedzar's sons when they weren't getting into trouble. Talat and Tolan often visited Gokturk territory because Oran lived there now and Ursula traveled back and forth from Pannonia to the mountains in Balaam to visit Issik, Oran and Yeter.

But this summer, Ursula only visited twice and didn't bring the teenage boys with her so Soran was alone most of the time. He sat on the floor, painting on a large parchment, a lion with a falcon together. He dipped his brush in the brown paint and his door swung open.

Safiya was not dressed in her usual garb but in pants, a corset and shoulder pads fixed to a long cape. He raised an eyebrow, surprised at her odd clothing. It reminded him of Anastasia's clothes minus the veil covering every bit of her hair.

"Soran, I want you to stay inside the Adame and don't come out for any reason at all. Do you understand?"

"Okay but why? Is something going on?" he put the brush down and heard a loud explosion from outside. He paused for a moment and Safiya looked around the room. The entire home rattled and a vase knocked over from a shelf.

He ran to the north side of his bedroom and out onto the balcony. Vandals were in the mountains where the Gokturks lived and they were bombing the living shit out of the tribe. Most of the catapults were aimed at the palace and he watched in amazement and horror as the Vandals continually loaded the machines and bombed the west side of the large blue palace.

One of the towers toppled over and crashed into one of the mountains causing a rockslide. He covered his eyes but peeked through his fingers watching the Gokturks flee on foot and horseback. Below, he leaned over the rail and saw Zolten, his father's general, leading an army of Huns and Sabirs to the mountains to attack the Vandals.

Safiya pulled him back inside and shut the glass door. She led him back into the room and drew the curtains together. "Do not leave this room!" she yelled.

He nodded. "Are you going over there?"

"I have to. Your father is not back from Pannonia and Oran isn't back from Banat."

He wrapped his arms around her. "No, don't go!" he cried. "I don't want you to go!"

"Soran!" she pushed him away. "I have to! Stay here. I'll be back, I promise," she pinched his chin then quickly exited and shut his bedroom door.

He ran towards the balcony again, not heading his stepmother's words, and watched his people riding up the mountains in several directions to attack the Vandals and Byzantines it looked like. He hid behind a curtain so nobody could see him. He then saw Safiya riding out with a few other veiled women like a horde. He ran back inside and darted to the other balcony to get a better look.

He gasped and could see the entire west side of the Gokturk palace was in shambles. He was thankful that Oran, Yeter and Issik weren't there but everyone else in the palace was probably seriously injured or dead. His eyes followed Safiya and the horde of women approaching the crevice within the mountains to attack in close combat. He didn't want to lose yet another mother figure in his life and hated that he was not old enough to help fight.

One of the maids walked into his room and ran over to drag him away from watching the horrid war below. "Your highness please. Safiya told me to watch you."

"I don't need anyone to babysit me!" he yanked his arm away and went back to the balcony. He kept his eyes on Safiya and the women riding towards the mountains but they'd take an hour to get there and by the time they got there, hopefully the Vandals wouldn't have completely destroyed the Gokturk tribe and palace.

* * *

Xena rode ahead of everyone else and stopped in the lush part of Constantinople, far from Justinian's palace but close enough to the Hagia Sophia. She scoped out the area before finding a good spot to store the men and supplies for awhile. She had no idea how long she was going to be here but she hoped not long because she hated quiet missions like this. She could count on her hand how many times she'd done them. She waved her hand to the soldiers and they rode to where she was.

Gabrielle jumped off her horse and saw the huge church up ahead; it was a few miles from them but the building looked massive. It was much bigger than she thought it'd be. In all the times she'd been to Constantinople, she never saw the Hagia Sophia because it just wasn't in their vicinity and they had no need to go there either.

"Wow, it's a beautiful church," she marveled. Admiring the tall towers and crucifix atop of the huge blue dome, she couldn't believe that Justinian was using this place of worship as a means for war and strategic warfare.

"Yes, it's wonderful. Could you tell the men to start unloading the wagon?" asked Xena.

Her wife cast a snarky smile and took off her gloves then waltzed over to the wagon. She ripped off the blanket covering all the bags of supplies and she gasped. "Um, Xena, we have a problem."

"What is it? I don't have time for problems."

"You might want to come see this."

The commander grumpily made her way over and glared at what was inside the wagon. "Arielle!" she screamed and the princess grinned sheepishly. "What the hell are you doing in there?!"

"I wanted to come…" she lamely said and then her grandmother pulled her out of the wagon with such force she fell onto the grass. She rubbed her rear and stood up. "I just want to help. I didn't want to be stuck in the Adame with Kreka and Ellac!"

"You can't be here!" she grabbed the girl by her collar. "You disobeyed me and everyone around you! Don't you understand rules or do they go through one ear and out the other? You think you're better than everyone else Arielle!"

"No I don't! I just wanna help! Why won't you let me? I'm not a baby!"

Xena pushed her backward into the wagon. "You sure act like one. Now Ellac and Kreka are going to look for you! They'll send scouts for you!" she growled. "You can't stay here. You have to go back." She paced around anxiously.

"But grandma!"

"Shut up!" she pointed her finger in Arielle's face.

Gabrielle scratched her head and glared at the princess. "You shouldn't have done this, Arielle. This was very irresponsible of you. Now we're going to have to send someone to take you home."

The princess gasped. "But I can help! Mother said you were going to infiltrate the church. I can help with that. I can dress as a nun and walk in easily. Nobody knows what I look like here. Please, I can do this," she begged.

Gabrielle eyed her very angry wife and didn't think Arielle's plan was a bad one. It was actually quite good. Xena caught her lingering stare of approval. "No," she responded and the governor began to open her mouth. "I said no! She escaped! She's not going to be in any part of this mission!"

"But she is right, Xena. Nobody knows what she looks like. It would be a better plan than sending the soldiers in as priests and monks. She can get close to Justinian's wife."

Arielle nodded with a big eager grin, hoping her grandmother would comply.

"Are you high?" the commander waved her hand superciliously.

"What are we going to do with her now? We can't send someone to take her home. It'll take too long and she's already here. If she wants to help, then let her. What's the worst that can happen?"

"I can think of several things."

"Please grandma!" she put her palms together. "I can get a lot of information for you guys. I've had a lot of training. Please?"

Xena groaned and stared at her wife who seemed to be for the ridiculous plan. "We don't have a nun's outfit anyway."

Gabrielle pulled out a black robe and habit much to her wife's disappointment. "I brought one just in case," she says with a sneaky grin. "One must always be prepared."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead then stared at her hopeful granddaughter. "If you screw this up I'm going to beat you until you won't be able to walk straight for a week."

"Thank you!" she hugged the commander tightly.

"Get off me…."

Arielle quickly took a step backward and grabbed the outfit from the governor. "I won't let you down! I'm going to change!" she ran towards a tree away from the men's prying eyes.

Xena turned her head slowly to her complacent blonde wife. "You and I are going to have words later," she wagged her finger.

* * *

The three walked on foot to the forest behind the church and Gabrielle cleared the area and quietly ran back up the hill to the tree filled area. Xena fixed the black habit on her granddaughter's head making sure none of her hair showed. She put the finishing touch on and placed a crucifix necklace around her neck that dipped down all the way to her navel.

"This is a good look for you. Maybe you should wear it all the time. It will repel boys," she jested.

Arielle frowned, not finding that small joke the least bit funny. " _Cute_ ," she remarked and scratched underneath the habit. "This thing is so itchy."

"Let's go over the plan. Gabrielle and I are going to be waiting in the camp for you. You're only supposed to stay in the church for two hours max. If you don't come out within that time we'll know something happened to you. Got it?"

She nodded. "Got it."

Gabrielle also mentioned, "Gather as much information you can while you're inside. If you happen to see Empress Theodora then get close to her and listen to her conversations."

"How will I know who she is?"

"You can't miss her. She wears a big gold crown and colorful robes like Justinian. You will be able to spot her. If she suspects something you need to get out as fast as you can."

Arielle affirmatively nodded and felt her stomach tie into knots. Xena clasped her shoulders and looked into her eyes seriously.

"Do not speak when you're inside the church and if you have to, hide your accent because they will know where you're from," she advised. "Arielle, I swear to god do not get caught. I don't want to invade a church of all places and save you."

"I won't get caught, grandma."

Xena frowned. "One more thing; don't call me grandma in the field. I'm your commander. This is a mission."

Arielle's cheeks flushed. "Right."

Gabrielle grabbed her hand and together they walked down the hill. She whispered, "We'll be here waiting for you. Go through the market and try to look… _innocent_ ," she jested.

The teenager smiled and walked alone out of the forest and into a secluded area of the market. Gabrielle watched to make sure she made it to the streets safely and then ran up to her wife on the hill. Xena folded her arms, glaring at the church a few yards ahead.

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever done in my entire life."

"She might be good at this," the governor told her.

"She should be at home where she belongs! Kreka is going to kill me."

Gabrielle chuckled. "Are you  _afraid_  of her?"

"No but she is a formidable opponent when she gets in one of her moods. Arielle better not do anything irrational. I can't believe you encouraged her, Gabrielle."

"Xena, she wasn't going to stop. She stowed away in our supply wagon! Have some faith in her."

"Faith? Maybe you should go to the church and repent your sins while we're here because you've obviously lost your mind." She marched up to the camp where the men were setting up tents and gathering the supplies in separate piles.

" _My_  sins?!" she thumbed her chest and hauled up the steep hill. "Let's not go down that road."

Xena rolled her eyes. She mocked her wife, " _it's a good idea, Xena. Let her do it, Xena. She can dress as a nun, Xena._ " She whipped her head round and Gabrielle folded her arms.

"Very funny."

"If anything happens to her I will…"

Gabrielle uncrossed her arms. "You'll what?"

She clenched her fist. "Never forgive myself," she said quietly.

* * *

In the streets outside of the grand church, Arielle walked without anyone paying attention to her. This outfit really did repel men, she thought. She stood in front of the church and lifted her head slowly, staring at the huge doors which she felt like an ant next to. This building was twenty times larger than anything she'd ever seen in her entire life.

She was so sheltered her entire life that she'd never seen anything outside her lifestyle and culture. The only places she'd been to were Pannonia and Balaam. The closest she came to stepping out of her comfort zone was taking a quick trip to the Black Sea beaches but even then, that wasn't so great because it was awkward and she hated everyone there.

Here, there were people of all different backgrounds around her. There were no Huns here. Not all the women had long hair down to their hips or sometimes their ankles in rare cases. Some had blonde hair, some red, different shades of brown, curly, straight, wavy, and each had different hairstyles. She was so accustomed to straight long hair and very few people had curly or wavy hair where she came from. She was one of the few who got cursed with the curly locks although her hair lost a lot of its kinkiness as she grew older.

She was so fixated on the people in the city that she nearly forgot about the mission. She smiled at some women passing by and they briefly grinned her way then kept walking and talking together in groups. So many different dresses here and these women weren't modest here at all. They willingly showcased their legs, arms, necks and some of their chest for the world to see.

Even on the hottest days in Pannonia every woman wore long sleeves, pants, dresses, robes, and their dress collars went up to the middle of their necks, hiding everything from everyone. She glanced down at her current outfit and it didn't really feel like she wore anything different from what she wore at home. Black robe to cover her entire body, a veil to shield her hair –it was virtually the same. She frowned sadly at the thought of going back to her normal life where every day was the same all the time.

A hand came to her shoulder and she gasped. A priest smiled at her and he was an elderly man, much older than anyone she'd ever seen. "Sister, are you about to head inside the Hagia Sophia?"

 _Sister_? She played along and nodded in silence.

He held a basket of bread and wine in his hand and handed it off to her. She grabbed the heavy basket and peeked inside. "Take this inside to the other sisters, would you?"

Arielle smiled and he opened the door for her. A rush of cold air hit her and she stepped inside slowly. She took in her surroundings and the doors closed behind her and she jumped. Her boot heels clicked against the marble tile floor and she couldn't believe her eyes when she was inside this grand church. This place was so big she feared she'd get lost so she kept her direction at a minimum.

She walked through the long arched hallways and glanced up at the artwork painted on the ceilings and statues along the walls. Finally she saw some nuns walking together in a huddle, speaking in hushed tones. They looked her way and she turned her eyes elsewhere and kept onward.

She felt like she was going in blind and couldn't believe what she was doing. This was way beyond what she thought she was going to do. She didn't know this church was so huge. How was she going to find the Empress in this massive building?

One of the older nuns came her way and Arielle nearly bolted but she remained calm. The woman had a bigger veil on and her face was very stern but it seemed the other younger nuns looked up to her. Arielle stopped when the woman was blocking her path. She remembered not to speak and if she did keep it simple.

"You look lost, child," the old woman said.

Arielle's mouth parted and she tried to put on a sweet smile. "A little."

"I've not seen you around before. Have you come from a different city?"

She nodded silently and the older woman raised her eyebrow suspiciously.

"Where are you from, child?"

She panicked and thought quickly of all the places she studied and heard of over the years. "Amphipolis," she tried to hide her accent, hoping it'd deter the woman's suspicions.

The elderly nun nodded her head. "I was not aware Amphipolis had any convents."

She probably should have chosen a Greek city to name instead but didn't know what to say.

"I will show you where to put the bread. Follow me." She walked ahead with her hands behind her back and Arielle ran to catch up with her and the woman turned at the sound of her boots. "No need to rush, child."

As they walked together she heard two priests talking in a language most familiar –it was her language.

" _Justinian askerleri nerede tutuyor_?" one of the men asked quietly.

She narrowed her eyes and listened intently as they passed the corridor. She slowed her pace and kept her eyes on the woman walking ahead of her.

" _Imparatorice onlari mahzende sakliyor_."

The man grunted and whispered, " _Onlari Pannonia'ya ne zaman göndeririz_?"

Arielle's eyes widened and she slowed her pace even more. The two men looked her way and she smiled at them. The priests bowed their heads graciously and she walked ahead with the elderly nun. That was more than enough information she needed but she could find out more. But that was odd that those men spoke her tongue. She thought that her language was exclusive among her people but maybe not.

Minutes later which felt like an eternity they entered a large chapel and she glanced around at the seven foot tall candles placed strategically around the room. There she saw the Empress standing at the altar with a priest.

The woman turned and frowned. "You gawk too much, child. Follow me to the altar where we will set out the bread."

Arielle nodded and walked through the narrow aisle, coming closer and closer to Empress Theodora. She lowered her gaze and went unnoticed by her and the priest. The old nun prompted her to set out the bottles of wine on the table in front of the altar and the bread into a pile. She listened to the conversation with the empress and priest but also, they were speaking in her tongue.

What is happening, she thought. This was either a very bad thing or a very good thing. She placed the wine bottles out while listening to the nun chastise her for working too slow.

Theodora said to the priest, " _Justinian Hunlari istila etmek ve dönüsüme zorlamak istiyor_."

Arielle's mouth gaped and she saw the nun glaring at her. She closed her mouth and placed the bread neatly into a pyramid shape along the altar beside the wine bottles.

" _Isgal ne zaman_?" asked the priest.

" _Gelecek ay tanri isterse_ ," Empress Theodora smiled.

"Oh my god," Arielle blurted out and Theodora spun around, hearing the lord's name taken in vain. She froze and finished with the stack of bread and the nun smacked her hand. She hissed and turned around to a very miffed and slightly irritated empress. She bowed her head and rubbed her aching hand.

"She is new here, your highness," the elderly nun defended her.

Theodora nodded. "I can see that. Mother superior, allow this girl to tend to the sick outside."

"Yes ma'am." She grabbed Arielle's arm and pulled her away from the altar.

* * *

A perfect time for her to escape. When the mother superior left her alone in the streets she bolted to the forest and ran up the hill to report back to her bosses. Xena and Gabrielle stood up from the campfire and she breathed heavily.

"I…I have information!" she yelled and almost collapsed from running all the way from the church to the camp which was a lot further than she remembered.

Xena waved her hand. "Go on, what did you find out?"

Arielle caught her breath. "It's really bad, grandma! I mean, commander. First of all," she swallowed and held a finger in the air, "those priests know our language and so does the empress! I heard two priests talking in a hallway. They have soldiers hiding in the cellar of the church!"

Gabrielle nods her head slowly. "And what else?"

"Second, I overheard the empress and a priest talking too. She said Justinian is going to send people to Pannonia for a conversion invasion. I'm not sure what that means but it will happen next month she said."

Xena sighed. "Anastasia was right. There are a lot of secrets in that church. Did you find out how many soldiers there are?"

"No but it sounds like a lot. What's going to happen? Are they going to raid Pannonia?"

"Something like that. He's going to try and make everyone submit to his dumb empire using religion as a tool." She shook her head. "This is worse than I thought. They didn't mention the Vandals, did they?"

Arielle replied with a shake of her head. "Did I do well?"

"Yes you did," she said unhappily and the princess beamed. "But don't you ever stow away like that ever again."

"I promise. Never again!" she ripped the habit off her head. "This thing really is itchy." She walked off to the campfire to grab food and drink.

Gabrielle smirked and stared up at her wife. "I told you she'd do well."

"I don't need you to validate her, Gabrielle."

"But you thought she'd do poorly and she brought some very good  _and_  useful information. I'm proud of her and you should be too." She slapped her on the behind and Xena's eyes enlarged.

She walked over and sat beside the princess as she ate a bowl of grain using her fingers as an eating utensil. Arielle looked her way and licked her fingers. "Gabrielle, you used to live in Greece, right?"

"A very long time ago, yes."

She had many questions about the Grecian lifestyle and couldn't stop thinking about all the citizens she saw in the streets. "Did you wear dresses? Ones where you bear your arms and legs?"

Gabrielle chortled and thought that an odd question. "I guess so?"

"I mean the dresses where your arms, legs and neck are bare to the world. Did you wear them?"

"Yes…why do you ask?"

Arielle sighed. "I saw women wearing those dresses in the street outside the church. And they wore sandals too, not boots. They were showing off their bodies and everything! Did you like wearing those dresses?"

"I haven't really thought about it too much."

"I'd like to have a dress like that one day. They're really nice."

Gabrielle raised her eyebrows. This was coming from a girl who hated wearing dresses. Arielle got a taste of the world outside her culture and now she was more curious than ever. It reminded her of Anastasia. That girl wanted to go to Greece so badly because she was kept in Pannonia all her life and now her daughter felt the same way.

The princess was anxious to express what she saw when she finally was able to meet with Bayan again. She told him to come to the Byzantine Empire to live and hoped that he did so he could be closer to her. She couldn't wait to tell him about Constantinople and maybe they could go into the city together and blend in with everyone else one day.

"The dresses that you have in Pannonia are very beautiful too."

Arielle frowned. "Not like those dresses I saw. I'd actually wear one if it was one of  _those_."

Xena listened to the conversation between the two from afar and frowned sadly. She looked back at the Hagia Sophia and narrowed her eyes to slits. She didn't know Justinian was one to be so clandestine. She wondered if Odoacer was working with him since he had been very quiet over the last five years. She also couldn't wait to get back home to report what Arielle overheard. They needed to prepare.

* * *

Pirro returned from his venture spying on the Vandals in Africa and now stood in front of Ellac and Kreka waiting to give his report. He didn't expect to stand before the queen mother and nervously stared at her. He wasn't sure if the woman liked him or not. It was hard to tell what she was thinking at all times.

"Where is Anastasia?" he asked.

Ellac tapped his fingers on his knees impatiently. "She's in Banat helping Farah with her twin boys."

"Wow, twins!" he beamed with glee. "Like Xena and Xander."

Kreka rolled her eyes. "Can you just give us the report, Pirro? We don't have all day."

"Yes, right. Well, first off, the Vandals despise Justinian. The king wants nothing to do with him. Justinian was supposed to send soldiers to Africa to get rid of Odoacer's men and the Berbers but he never did. King Guthamund, that's the Vandal king," he clarified, "he sent some of his men to Persia so he could attack Hun tribes. Justinian's general paid the Vandal king to do this."

"And Justinian has no idea about this agreement?" Ellac inquired.

Pirro shrugged. "I don't know but get this; Odoacer's soldiers were pushed out of Africa and they took ships back to Rome. Guthamund is now focused on eliminating the Berber tribes in Tunis."

"Is Queen Kahina still ruling over the tribes?"

"How do you know her name?"

"Xena and Gabrielle made friends with her years ago. I thought she would've been dead by now."

Kreka shifted in the queen's chair and turned to Ellac. "We need those designs from Farah. I'm sure she's had some time to complete them. Have Ana send them over and we'll assign people to build the ships."

Ellac nodded and smiled at Xena's little brother. "You can leave now. When Gabrielle gets back from her mission she will pay you out."

"I get paid for spying?" he seemed shocked.

"It's a job, isn't it? You think your sister works for free?" the king laughed. "She's the wealthiest person in this tribe because she's been working as a commander for so long."

Pirro's jaw dropped and didn't know his sister accumulated so much wealth. She could have done so much with her money yet she kept it hidden from everyone. No wonder everybody in the world wanted her dead.

"Thank you." He curtly bowed to them both and turned around to leave until his older sister and Gabrielle walked in with the princess. "Oh, hello ladies," he grinned.

Kreka and Ellac stood up at the sight of Arielle and she hid behind her grandmother, knowing she was about to get horribly lectured by the two of them. She would much rather be lectured by her mother than the khatun any day.

"Well, looks like I can get paid now," said Pirro.

Ellac grumbled. "Gabrielle, pay him the usual amount for mercenaries."

The governor frowned and walked out of the conference room with Pirro in tow. She wanted to stay for the report about Constantinople but of course, she must obey the orders. He walked closely to her side and whispered, "So how much is this job?"

"Five thousand dinari," she responds with a monotone.

"Holy shit! That's so much money!" it was definitely more than he used to make in Amphipolis and Stagira working odd jobs. "If you don't mind me asking, how much does Xena make?"

Gabrielle grits her teeth. "One hundred thousand dinari."

"A year?"

"A month."

"I'm definitely in the wrong profession."

Kreka marched over to the commander who was protecting Arielle from her wrath. "Where the hell has she been? We've been looking for her!"

Xena put up her hands, blocking the fuming khatun. "She was with me. She stowed away in our supply wagon."

"What!" Ellac yelled.

"I let her do the mission for me and Gabrielle."

"Xena!" he reprimanded. "She is a little girl. She can't go on these missions."

"I am  _not_  a little girl," said Arielle and he glared at her then she hid behind her grandmother, quieting down.

Xena nodded and grabbed Kreka by her arms so she wouldn't come an inch closer. "She found some information we can use and we have a serious problem. Empress Theodora knows our language and she's harboring soldiers in the Hagia Sophia. Justinian is going to declare war on us and force everyone to convert to his church."

The khatun backed away and finally Arielle stepped out although she was still afraid she was going to be attacked verbally, maybe physically. "Maybe we should try to settle this civilly. I don't want a war inside Pannonia. We're not going to agree to his terms obviously but we can work something out."

Arielle interceded, "well actually I don't think it's a good idea to talk to them. The Empress is probably coming to Pannonia. I heard her talking to a priest. They're coming here next month."

"And what about the Vandals?" asked Xena. "They're still a problem."

"The Vandals don't want anything to do with Justinian and his empire. They were contracted by his general and sent to Persia. They're working with Hormizd now," explained Ellac.

"Of course they are. Any word on the Kidarite king? He's working with Hormizd. If he's in Persia we could go there and kidnap him and bring him to Pannonia."

Arielle's eyes lowered to the floor and felt very small all of a sudden. She hoped that Bayan left Persia by now but if he didn't and there was to be another raid then he didn't stand a chance.

Ellac shook his head. "I don't want to send anyone to Persia right now. I'll have Navaz handle them since he's closer. We need to deal with Justinian right now. I'll send word to Anastasia and ask if she can come home." He then glared at his stepdaughter. "As for you…"

Arielle crookedly smiled and stepped backward to be closer to the commander.

Xena gripped her shoulder tightly. "I already scolded her, Ellac. No need to yell at her again." Arielle lifted her eyes and gave a thankful smile.

* * *

The Huns and Sabirs were able to eliminate most of the Vandals attacking the Gokturks but Safiya was there long before Navaz returned to their home. She captured one of the Vandals and kept him in the cellar below the Adame for days. She was not without injury and took an arrow to her shoulder and several cuts to her arms and legs and she was stomped on by Vandals to which now caused broken ribs. But all of this did not deter her from bringing back a Vandal to keep as prisoner and interrogate.

She stood over the Vandal soldier and whacked him across the cheek with an iron poker. "Tell me why you're working with the shah."

He spat out a few bloody teeth onto the floor and drool dribbled down his chin. "Sabir cunt," he muttered.

She stabbed the end of the poker into his foot and he shouted to the ceiling, screaming at the top of his lungs. Soran watched through the cell door and crinkled his eyebrows together. He'd never thought his stepmother would be so heinous and cruel to anyone. She was not sweet, but she was kind, much like his deceased mother, but this behavior reminded him of Queen Boareks.

The women who accompanied Safiya were also fierce warriors and Soran knew Sabir people were very much involved in war all the time. They weren't too different from the women in his culture. His other stepmother, Anastasia, was a fierce warrior too and so was Xena, Kreka and other women as well. He only knew a handful of women who were not confident with a sword; Farah being one of them. That woman was a spoiled queen but she didn't need a sword. She was highly intelligent and had plenty of other gifts to share aside from combat.

"I am not going to kill you, Vandal. I'll keep you alive as long as I want. You will tell me why you're working with the shah or these next few days will become very painful for you. Your choice," she told him.

Navaz walked over and saw his wife interrogating and beating the living shit out of the Vandal. Soran couldn't keep his eyes off the two and Navaz grabbed him by the arm and led him away from the cell door.

"What are you doing here, Soran? You should be upstairs in your room."

The prince heard the Vandal cry out again and he winced, almost feeling the man's pain. "She's torturing him. Is she going to make him talk? He hasn't said anything for days."

"He'll talk. She'll make him talk. This isn't a place for you to be." He grabbed his son's hand and together they trailed up the stairs whilst hearing the Vandal's screams, moans and cries from behind. "The Gokturk palace is destroyed. Oran, Yeter and Issik will have to stay in the Adame for awhile."

Soran gasped and ripped his hand away. "Father, no! I don't like Yeter!"

"I don't care if you don't like her. They're staying here! They are family."

"They're not  _my_  family."

Navaz shoved his son into the wall. "We're a united front, Soran. Our empire is intertwined with theirs and Pannonia. We work together and we are a family. You deal with it."

"Then I want to go live in Pannonia during the winter."

"We'll see about that when the time comes."

* * *

Xena threw her boots across the room and sprawled out on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Gabrielle climbed onto the bed and curled up beside her. She was in deep thought, thinking about several things at once. She traced her fingers in between her wife's blonde hair.

"I heard Arielle talking about dresses she saw women wearing in Constantinople," she mentioned. This had been bothering her for the last week but remained quiet about it until they came back home.

"Yes, she was very interested in their clothes."

The brunette nodded slowly. "She's curious about the outside world much like Anastasia was."

Gabrielle laid her head on her wife's chest and stared at the ceiling with her. "She has a right to be curious. She's only lived and known this life around her. She's been around Huns all her life. She's never been surrounded by people from different areas of the world."

"That's not true. She's been around the Chinese and Szekelys. Those people are a different breed for sure," she joked.

"Xena, that's not the same. They came here. She never went to China. Csaba and Farah traveled to China and the Szekelys are almost the exact same as Huns, except they don't live in yurts…" she recalled the huge palace she almost got lost in a couple of weeks ago.

"I hope she doesn't do anything too hasty."

Gabrielle turned over and sat up on an elbow, staring at her concerned wife. "Like run away? You really think she'd do that?"

"Why not? I did," she admits with a hint of sadness cloaked in her tone. "I left my brothers by themselves. My brother said I was no longer allowed in the house so I left and never came back."

She sighed and ran her knuckles across her wife's prominent cheekbone. "If you stayed, you wouldn't have had Anastasia or any of your family that you have now. I wouldn't be here. It was your destiny to leave home, Xena. It was fate that you left and made a life for yourself. You've had a great life here!  _I've_  had a great life here. I love living here with everyone –with you."

"This family is a giant walking disaster."

Gabrielle let out a soft chortle. "No family is perfect. Everyone loves each other here. I wouldn't change anything."

Her wife raised an eyebrow and half smiled. "Always optimistic about everything, aren't you?"

"And you're pessimistic. We go together. We balance each other out." She climbed atop of her wife and stared into the serene blue pools beneath her. "Don't worry about Arielle. She's young and needs to figure herself out."

"I'll always worry about her. She's just like me, Gabrielle! Do you know  _who_  I am…"

The blonde laughed. "I think I might know a woman named Xena," she teased and leaned in close, smelling her hair. "You smell like burnt wood."

"I didn't go to the bathhouse yet but thanks for the compliment," she smiled. She eyed Gabrielle's chest and cocked her head. "What's that?" she pointed.

"What?" she looked down at her chest and her wife flicked her nose.

Xena laughed and Gabrielle put a hand over her nose. "You fall for it every time."

Her blonde counterpart mockingly grinned and searched through the commander's black hair. "Oh, what's this? A grey hair I see?" she teased.

Xena's face paled and she pushed her wife onto the other side of the bed and jumped off to go look in the mirror. She parted her hair with her fingers, looking for the grey hair in the mound of darkness before her. Then she heard Gabrielle cackling in the background.

"That was just mean."

"I didn't know you were so vain, Xena. You surprise me sometimes."

Xena scoffed and laid a hand on her hip. "I am not  _vain_."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," she said with a devious grin.


	43. Chapter 43

**This story is not finished and will continue on longer than the other two stories only because this story is divided into two parts. We're now getting into the fun nitty-gritty conflict of several wars surrounding the Huns :D Enjoy, everyone.**

Chapter 43 – _The Commander vs The Queen_

Xena plunged into her daughter's bedroom and caught her with Ellac in a very passionate moment together in bed. Anastasia turned around and grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around her slender body and Ellac's head lolled over then shielded his eyes.

"Don't you knock anymore?" said Ana with vehemence.

She did nothing to avert her eyes away from her daughter and husband. She simply ignored it, almost refusing to acknowledge it or maybe she didn't care. "You're both needed outside and it's urgent so I suggest you finish whatever it is you were doing," she said with a leering smile.

The queen cast narrow eyes at her mother and flung herself off the bed while holding onto the loosened sheets poorly wrapped around her. "Fine. We'll be there. You may go now."

Xena took her leave and Anastasia griped quietly. She made her way over to the table with a silver tea set sent up to her room as requested. She poured in a dark powder and stirred it around the hot water until it dissolved. She looked to her husband who was more than annoyed by her mother barging in as she did frequently. She was sure that her mother did this on purpose as it happened far too many times in the past and present.

She drank all of the sour tea and her body shivered at the taste. She always hated mandrake tea but sometimes it was necessary. Ellac slipped on his trousers and turned to his wife with a smile.

"It's almost as if your mother is  _trying_  to prevent us from having sex," he gathers.

Ana looks to him and laughs softly. "It's like being a teenager all over again," she admits jokingly. "Perhaps we should come into her yurt unannounced and see how she fares."

"Be my guest but I am not walking in on your mother. The last thing I need to see is her naked flesh." Ellac smiled and laced up his boots. "Besides, I'm sure I'd leave the yurt with not one but  _two_  black eyes!"

* * *

Beyond the camp a sight of horror was there for everyone to witness. People inside the camp emerged from their yurts when they heard the commotion outside their homes. Large groups gathered around and children hid in their mothers' dresses. Men were outraged and talking in huddles of the horrendous display. Pannonia was not shy of massacres and display of death of all ethnic backgrounds but this was more than what anyone wanted to see.

Xena stood beside the governor and watched as the Sabir bodies of the women who were allegedly kidnapped by Persians burn on stakes. The five bodies were strategically planted in a row. All women wore black robes much like all Persians did and they each had bandages wrapped around their mouths to muffle their screams as the flesh melted off their bodies.

It'd been hours since the souls left the women's bodies and the smell engulfed the entire camp. Black smoke of Sabir flesh filled the blue autumn skies of Pannonia. This created a dark cloud over the lush land thus signaling bad omens for the Huns everywhere.

It wasn't long before the king and queen joined everyone else. They too gawked at the burning bodies and Anastasia put a hand over her mouth, immediately sick to the core. She'd seen many deaths like this before but it never got easier to take in.

"Are these the women Hormizd captured from Balaam?"

Gabrielle was the first to answer. "Yes. He's sending a message of war. He's already attacked Navaz and the Gokturk territory. Oran's home was destroyed in the process by Vandals."

Now it all made sense as to why Guthamund employed men to be slaves for the Shah. He was using his men to attack the Huns without Justinian's help. The agreement between Justinian and Guthamund was merely a distraction for bigger purpose. It was unclear whether the emperor was aware of what was happening in old Persia but none of it seemed to matter. What was clear was that Persia was rising to power again.

Xena turned to her horrified daughter. "The fires must be put out and they need to be buried. We need to have a meeting. We can't let Hormizd win and reclaim Persia again."

Her wife frowned and spoke, "what about Empress Theodora? She's supposed to come here. Should we just ignore that? Are we going to war with Justinian too? We can't split the army up in two different parts of the world. We'll fall instantly."

"We've fought Hormizd before. He never attacks in the same place twice. He's going to wait for us to come to him. When Theodora comes here we'll deal with her then but we need to strategize a plan to crush Hormizd before he becomes too powerful."

* * *

Per usual meeting everyone was present; Ellac, his two brothers, Ernak and Dengi, Kreka, Anastasia and the commander and governor. Ebnedzar offered to bury the deceased Sabir women next to the family who also perished. There lay Attila, Giselle and all the wives of the Hun princes and kings together. Now there was more to add to the burial site.

Gabrielle looked at everyone's distressed faces and all sat quiet for awhile, taking in the amount of death surrounding them over the last few years. She taps the quill on her journal, waiting to take notes of dialogue but the words refused to flow from their mouths.

"We need to stop this. Our people are dying left and right."

"The Sabirs aren't our people," said Ernak. He was still bitter that the late Sabir Queen killed his wife and left his son motherless years ago.

She hung her head. "They were protected under the empire. We're inclusive and we let them down just like we let down the Gokturks who are also loyal to us now. We've failed them."

"We didn't  _fail_  anyone," interrupted Xena. "This happens. We need something to use against Hormizd. He has Vandals, Byzantines and the Kidarites on his side. The Vandals are not a people to mess with. They're worse than the Visigoths."

Ellac placed his hands upon his knees and puffed out his chest. Blood boiled within him, threatening to blow through his skin at any moment. "I say we corner Hormizd and his camp. We form a united Hun army. Get the White Huns and Nezaks to join us. Three Hun armies joined at the hip –we will slaughter him. There's no way he can defeat an army of thousands."

"We don't know how many men he has in total. We weren't able to see how many he had on our last mission with Csaba. Now that the Vandals are there, his count could be much higher," Gabrielle told the king.

"Navaz's wife said that there were hundreds of Vandals on the border of Persia and the Gokturk mountains. We should perform a raid and pillage Hormizd's god forsaken military base," he said and slammed his fist on the floor.

Anastasia put a stop to her husband's tyrannical rant with a raise of a hand. "We aren't going to charge in there like a bunch of savages. We must plan strategically. My mother and Gabrielle will go on another mission to Persia and spy on them. I want to know how many men he has and we'll go from there."

Her mother obviously had objections to the plan and responded with a loud snort. "For god's sake, Anastasia. I am not going on another clandestine mission. I don't like spying on people. It's not my style."

Gabrielle quietly jotted down the dialogue and was tempted to interrupt her wife. She knew this conversation was about to get ugly. It always turned into a heated argument between the two stubborn women. Xena wanted to do things her way and Ana wanted her way. There was never a winner unless Anastasia pulled her royal card and ordered her mother then Xena would have no choice but to follow her command.

"Mother," she said, "this is dangerous territory we're dealing with here! We are not going to have another two year war with Persia again. I can't do it –I won't do it."

"Then why don't we just blow up their camp? We have a cannon. We can make more. Farah can help like last time."

Anastasia pointed her finger in her mother's face. "No! We do this  _my_  way! You're going to Persia after Theodora shows her stupid face. Do I make myself clear?"

Xena snubbed her nose and crossed her arms to show defiance to her queenly daughter.

"If you don't want to do the mission then just say so."

Everyone in the room eyed the queen and commander glaring at each other with mirrored blue eyes. Xena did not blink, not even once. She was like a cat having a stare down. "I don't want to do it."

"Alright," Ana turned to Ernak and Dengizich. "You two will go to Persia and spy on Hormizd."

The brothers nodded to her and excused themselves from the meeting. They had enough of the tense and heated words shared between a mother and daughter.

"I don't think spying on them is going to make a difference," said Xena one last time. She always had to have the last word.

"Xena…" her wife hissed.

Anastasia, displeased with her mother's disapproval and defiant attitude, stood up and towered over her. "This discussion is over."

The commander stood and faced her daughter, equal in height. "So it seems." She turned on her heel and hurried off.

"I want you to continue to train Arielle then if you're not willing to do anything else!" Ana shouts to her mother.

Xena twirled her hand in the air as she came closer to the doors. "Do it yourself!"

* * *

That meeting wasn't quite like Gabrielle panned it out to be in her head. Out of embarrassment she excused herself from the monarchs and tried to keep up with her wife who was charging across the field. Xena was walking towards the training field where she'd most likely yell and tell her anger out on those poor young recruits. They didn't know what was about to hit them.

Gabrielle threw her journal inside the yurt as she ran by and waved down her wife. "Xena! Wait! Stop!"

"I am not in the mood to talk," she responds.

"Why were you so short with Ana back there? What is your problem?" she called out, hoping that'd halt her wife at any moment. "Xena, dammit, stop!"

"What?" the commander spun around. "I told you, I'm not in the mood!"

Gabrielle folded her arms and was a bit surprised by her sudden change in behavior. "Is something going on that you wanted to get off your chest? Whatever it is you can tell me. Just don't take it out on those boys. They don't deserve that."

"Gabrielle. Not now, please."

"Why not? You were pretty upset back there. What is going on with you?"

"Nothing!" Xena said with a low growl. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves so she wouldn't blow up at the person she claimed to love the most in the world. "I just think she's going about this all wrong. Sending spies to Persia isn't going to do anything but delay our attack against Hormizd. It will allow him more time to regroup and strategize to attack us. Look what he did, Gabrielle. He used those Sabir women as a tool. He wants war and all Ana wants to do is play mouse while he's the cat. I don't like it and she's playing it safe."

Gabrielle could understand why her wife was so upset but it didn't give excuse her arrogant and obtuse behavior in front of everyone. "Why didn't you just say that then instead of storming off in a rage?"

"She doesn't listen to me. I know more than she does."

"Xena, she's been queen long enough to know what she's doing. I think you should apologize for the way you acted."

The commander titled her chin and turned to the field where the recruits were sitting in the grass visiting with each other. "I have to go train the recruits. Let me know what Anastasia decides to do about Theodora."

And just like that she disappeared without acknowledging anything her counterpart said. Gabrielle released a solemn frown and couldn't bear to think what was about to happen later on this month. If what Arielle said was true then everyone should be prepared but her wife's behavior was very unusual and unlike her. Sure, she and her daughter had tiffs sometimes but they always made up or come to some kind of compromise. Perhaps Xena was tired of being ordered around or maybe she was right about Ana's plan.

Maybe she was playing it safe or maybe it was the right thing to do; lay low until it is the right time to attack. For now, Gabrielle had to focus on Empress Theodora and convince Ana to do what is right and not engage in war or talk of it with the Byzantine ruler.

* * *

Arielle spent most of her days in her room as her grandmother wasn't willing to train her. She heard about the argument she and her mother had together days ago but she wasn't brave enough to ask either one of them what it was about. She asked Kreka what it was about and she briefly explained that it was a difference of opinion regarding Shah Hormizd.

She felt guilty for keeping information from her family, specifically those in charge; that being her mother, stepfather, grandmother and adopted aunt. She could have stopped the Kidarite raid but she didn't know Bayan was complicit with the Persians. She could've told someone but that would ruin everything she kept a secret for five years.

This autumn wasn't as dry as the previous years and it rained for the last few days, although not like it did earlier in the summer season. The grass turned to marshes in the forests and the animal pins were wrecked with mud so they had to be transported to the stables or firmer soil. Arielle thought she was being ignored or forgotten since she laid waste in her room for days.

She was busy polishing one of her war bows that she'd never thought she'd get to use anytime soon. The best thing she did this year was spy on the Empress and relay information to her bosses. She enjoyed being an informant and she continued to be one secretly as she snagged information from Bayan.

Lightening streaked across the dark skies and thunder rattled the Adame as she sat in her room quietly humming a song to herself. One of the folk songs her people sang during celebrations like weddings or birthdays reminded her of happier times. Polishing her bow was one thing that made her happy.

Sitting and keeping to herself she felt hands come to her shoulders and she spun around, ready to whack the person in her room. She smiled at Bayan who was drenched from head to toe. She tossed her bow on the empty side of her bed and flung her arms around him.

"Where have you been?" she whispered with excitement.

He kissed her generously and her arms fell weak at his touch. When he pulled away, she leaned forward not wishing him to stop. He cupped her face and took off his wet cloak and threw it on the floor. "I'm sorry. I should have come sooner but I was busy stealing my brother's men."

"You what?" she gasped.

"I told my brother's soldiers to join me. He's a rotten king anyway. He's not like our brother, Kandik, god rest his soul," he said. "I relocated to Assyria in the mountains. It's gorgeous there. I'd love to take you there one day," he says with promise and sits on the bed next to her. "How did your presentation go?"

She looks at the floor and a rush of disappointment came over her. "I failed. I am not ready to be queen so my family says. I will have to try again next year but I don't see the point. I've stopped studying."

Bayan was sad to hear the news. He was hoping that she'd be granted the position she longed for since she was a girl. He tried to cheer her up. "Hey, you don't need that position anyway. You could come with me to Assyria and we can start a new tribe there. I have over a hundred soldiers at my disposal. Some of the Assyrians want to come live with us. You wouldn't believe it but they love Huns."

She gawked at him with wide eyes, flabbergasted at his proposal.

"You could be queen of that tribe. I'm sure they'd love you." He felt he was being too forward with her as he received no response. "Is that a no?"

"Bayan," she laughs lightly and reached for his hand. "I can't just leave. My mother would kill me. When my brother took off with Farah she had a nervous breakdown and cried for days. I couldn't do that to her."

He rubbed his thumb on her hand. "You know, at some point, you're going to have to tell her about us. I can't keep doing this –sneaking into your room late at night and hoping nobody catches us. I've cut it close a few times already." He stood and stripped his body of the wet clothes.

"I can't do that. My entire family will come after you –my uncles, my mother, grandmother, stepfather, my father, everyone basically…" she says quietly. "We can keep this a secret for awhile longer." She grabbed his arm and held him close while leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I won't wait forever, Arielle."

* * *

The long awaited moment came when Empress Theodora strode into the camps. She was welcomed inside through the gates of Pannonia. She was surprised that the soldiers let her in without repercussions. The Empress had not a clue that all of the Huns were aware of her arrival a month before. She did not come without men to guide her but she was alone. Her husband was absent.

Her arrival was expected much to her oblivion though the clan of Attila was expecting her husband to come with her. The commander was still at odds with her daughter. Gabrielle being the peace maker she was, tried to get the two women together but her plan of reconciliation was unfruitful. She was not positive as to why her wife was so obstinate towards Anastasia. The objection was abrupt and set everyone on edge.

It was normal to see the queen and commander disagree but their differences never caused strife in the camp and Adame until now. The two were stubborn and set in their ways. Xena had her own idea of how things should progress and plan out while Ana had hers. Despite the awkward tension, they put on their best faces for Empress Theodora.

The haughty Byzantine Empress was greeted by the entirety of Attila's clan. She never met the clan before in person but her husband met the king and queen together years ago. She dismounted and approached the family.

" _Selamlar_ ," she greets.

Anastasia took note of the tongue the Empress spoke with. She bowed her head with a glimmer of a grin. " _iyi günler,"_  she returned the greeting.

The Empress remained aware of the soldiers hidden in the trees and brush upon her arrival. She was surrounded. Xena eyed the men lurking in the trees and focused on the Byzantine soldiers accompanying Theodora. They were ready for an ambush at any second. She turned to the governor who was well aware of her keen eye. She signaled to the governor with a subtle scratch to her nose. Gabrielle casually glanced over at the Empress and to the trees where Huns wait in hiding.

"It's been many moons since Romans set foot on our soil," remarked Anastasia. "What brings you here?"

Her spies had done well and she did not expect one of the spies to be her daughter but Arielle did well and gave a lot of good information. Ernak and Dengizich were gone to Persia to spy on Hormizd and Xena's little brother had yet to return from Goth and Frank territory.

"The Emperor and I have come to offer salvation to you Huns," Theodora says eloquently. This brought a reaction of laughter from the king and commander alike. She ignored the chatter. "If you convert to our religion then we will not engage in any further wars of the like."

"A kind gesture," said Anastasia. "But we must decline."

This was the moment. The Empress was clearly unsatisfied with the queen's answer. The imperial soldiers gathered around her for a small attack. Gabrielle took this opportunity to slip away from the group and signal the Huns in the brush and trees with a raised hand. They came out from hiding and slowly approached the Empress ready to blow at any second.

Xena had a hand on her weapon in case the Byzantines were to strike her daughter or Ellac. The Empress averts her gaze above to the staircase behind the clan. The commander was aware of the sudden aversion and Arielle came out of the large wooden home, catching Theodora's attention. The princess paused in step and froze upon the Empress' cold stare. Recognition of Arielle was almost instant. Theodora pointed her finger at the stupefied princess.

The imperial soldiers pointed arrows at the teenager and Xena pulled out a long saber. "Run, Arielle!" she shouted and the princess sprinted back inside the Adame just as arrows were fired.

Anastasia drew a weapon at her hip and ran it through an imperial archer. Within seconds chaos ensued. Huns attacked Byzantine armed men. The cries of soldiers filled the air and arrows soared across the camps sending the civilians in a panic. They scurried about and took refuge in their yurts away from the battle.

Theodora mounts her horse and threatened to flee alone. Not even a moment before she could escape, the commander attacked her and grabbed the reins. She didn't let go no matter how much the Empress' horse swayed and reared on its large hind legs.

"Savages!" she screamed. "You're all savages!"

"Come stay for awhile, empress. Tell us of your promising and forgiving religion!" Xena said with a throaty growl. She grabbed Theodora and flung her off the horse. Licking the top of her teeth she grabbed the empress by the boot and dragged her across the grass. The hungry desire to tear the Empress limb from limb engorged her mind. If she were to die then Justinian would surely cast war upon Pannonia and all Huns alike.

Theodora reached for her sword and the Hun commander stomped on her hand. "You would strike me while I'm down? I have not armed myself and you sent the adolescent princess to spy on me!"

"You aren't down, empress. You came here on your own accord knowing we'd decline your offer. I won't kill you. That'd be foolish of me. You didn't come here for peace. You came to bring war upon our people. You knew exactly what you were doing, Empress."

* * *

Gabrielle ran into the Adame as a flurry of imperial soldiers raided the place. Arielle ran up the staircase but paused at the top, wrapping an arm around her midsection. Taking a breath, she thought. Too long of a breath. She quickly darted up the stairs to attack the imperial soldiers before they were to strike the princess.

Again without thinking she drove the blade through one of the soldiers and he stumbled on the step. She grabbed his shoulder and forced him onto the staircase and withdrew the sword from his spine then kicked him. He rolled down the stairs. All of the maids and servants scattered. Glasses shattered, tea splattered and sheets were cast into the air.

She glanced up at Arielle who was moving at unusually slow pace. She would've thought the princess had reacted to the men chasing her. The governor made another move to protect Arielle and knocked the Byzantine off his footing. He fell face first and she jumped onto his back and thrust the blade into the thick of his neck.

"Arielle," she put a hand to the breathless girl. "What happened? You didn't try to fight or run."

"I just had a cramp." She tried to brush the concern off but the governor was not convinced.

"But you didn't even try and protect yourself. Those men were chasing you. I ran after them and killed them!" she gestured to the corpses in the hall they stood in.

The princess flung her arm to knock of the blonde's. "Stop chastising me!" she yells and Gabrielle was taken aback. It seems her wife's behavior had somehow transferred to Arielle. "I'm…going to my room," she told her in a softer tone. She rubbed her cramping side and padded to her bedroom.

Cera ran up the stairs to see what the commotion was about. Her tutor, Nisa, advised against it but like all women here, she did not listen. She, alarmed by the dead soldiers in her home, stepped over their bleeding bodies and tapped the governor's shoulder.

Gabrielle turned swiftly and breathed out deeply, thankful it was only the young princess. "Cera, are you alright?"

She replied with a nod and asked what happened with her silent signing of the hands.

"Justinian wife came to offer us 'salvation' through war. Her men were after your sister," she explained and the redhead gasped with a wide jarred mouth. She really needed to get back outside to tend to everyone else and hoped her wife did not succumb to the sword this time and instead used diplomacy to be rid of the Empress.

"Cera, can you do me a favor? Go check on Arielle and don't leave the Adame until your parents say it's safe."

Cera nodded and gave her a thumbs up and ran to her elder sister's room. Gabrielle then eyed the men and leaned over the balustrade to the Hun soldiers below that guarded the inside of the home. "Come collect these thugs up here!" she ordered.

* * *

It wasn't difficult to make the Empress flee with what little men she had left. She not only left, she cursed everyone in Pannonia and made obscene threats. Certainly the language she used was not fit for a woman of status such as herself. Nobody was the least bit disturbed by what occurred today but come evening, others were still shaken. Arielle had locked herself away in her room according to Cera. The governor kept this information to herself.

In the yurt, she was forced to listen to the commander and queen, argue with one another yet again. The two weren't ever going to agree on anything as of late. They were beyond at each other's throats. Anastasia's slurs in her mother tongue did not go unnoticed by Gabrielle. She was sure that others outside the yurt could hear them. Even she was embarrassed by the squabbling which would soon turn physical if they weren't stopped.

She stepped in between the raven haired women and separated them with a push of her hands. "That's enough!" she shouts and finally they stopped bickering. "You two are going to make my ears bleed with this constant fighting. Why don't we talk about this calmly?" she suggests.

Xena folded her arms and turned her cheek. Her daughter did the same. Now Gabrielle was caught in the middle of them. They were almost mirror images of each other. One woman with fringe bangs, the other without. One donning a black cape, the other a dark crimson. Boots with chains for the commander and fur for the queen's. Noses upturned and scowls upon their similar faces. They were more than mirror images; they were the same in every way and neither of them was willing to admit it. They were not far apart in age anymore and this probably created a strain on their relationship.

Gabrielle tried her best to keep herself composed but even her patience was wearing thin. "Xena, why don't you go first?"

Her wife sighed heavily and stared at the wall. "I think we should attack from within Justinian's empire. We're sitting here waiting to be mauled."

She nodded and looked over at the fuming queen. "Anastasia, what do you have to say about that?"

The queen shifted her weight a few times and tightened her crossed arms until her entire body tensed. "I think we should focus on Persia. Hormizd is a bigger threat."

Xena snapped her head round to her daughter. "A few burning corpses and he's suddenly a huge problem?!" she yelled. "Justinian is the cause! We should attack the cause not the effect!"

"Why don't you ever want to see things my way?" Ana faced her mother and Gabrielle's head whipped from left to right. "Everything always has to be your way!" she shoved her mother's shoulder.

"Anastasia," her mother said calmly before losing it entirely. "We've dealt with Romans far longer than Persians. Attacking Justinian will weaken Hormizd's reign. Why can't you see that?"

Tired of the commander's constant know-it-all attitude, Ana drew her sword. Xena raised an eyebrow and drew hers as well. Gabrielle's eyes grew in fear at the two and she quickly stepped out of their way. "Ladies, we don't need to do this. We can talk about this calmly."

"Stay out of this, Gabrielle," said Xena. "Are you sure you want to duel with me?" she asked her daughter.

Anastasia lightly tapped her mother's blade with hers. That was all her mother needed to know. A signal for the two to fight with swords instead of words. Something the two had never done, at least not on this magnitude. Anastasia gripped her blade and swung from the side. Their swords met and the metal screamed as they both applied ample pressure to the weapons.

Xena kicked her daughter in the shin, knocking her off balance for a mere second. Raging, Ana charged at her and the two ended up outside of the yurt. Gabrielle ran outside and looked at the two warring. This was not a spar but a death match. She didn't know who to stop first –who to save. She watched in horror and awe as their swords met several times.

Onlookers emerged from their yurts at the sound of metal clashing. The elder shaman women and men of the Suevi tribe watched in a huddle. The Bulgurs looked on as well in scattered groups. The Thracians were by a bonfire and all conversation halted and they too gawked at the queen and commander going at each other.

Ursula stepped out of her yurt with Ebnedzar to see what the commotion was outside. "What is going on here?" she asked.

"Should I stop them?" her husband inquired and almost stepped in between the women.

She held her arm in front of his chest. "No. Let them fight."

As fierce a fighter the queen was, the commander was more skilled in different fighting techniques that she learned when Attila reigned. She and the khatun sparred often using the deadly techniques and those were all for fun but this wasn't amusing to watch especially for the governor who stood on the sidelines.

First blood was drawn from Xena as she whacked her daughter in the mouth. Anastasia stumbled backward and fingers came to her bleeding lip. Gabrielle put a hand to her mouth and inhaled sharply.

"This is not the way to solve problems!" she yelled but her cries were unheard.

Xena kicked her daughter in the chest and Ana coughed. She cast her sword down and gasps surrounded them. Ana blocked her mother's blow as she knelt on one knee. The two glared at each other with blue mirrored eyes. "Have you had enough?"

The queen slowly rose from the ground, pushing the blade back and walked ahead, pushing her mother further back with a smile on her face. Xena's frown deepened and she tried to halt herself in the grass. Her heels dug into the soil to try and stop her daughter's forceful weight pushing against her. Anastasia took the opportunity to smack her mother in the jaw with a jab of an elbow. The commander scoffed with a grunt and recovered quickly.

Gabrielle couldn't bear to watch anymore. She ran to her wife and grabbed her arm. "Stop this! You're going to kill each other!"

"Out of the way, Gabrielle!" yelled Anastasia.

The throatiness of her voice alarmed the governor and she wasn't sure if she wanted to see both people she cared for deeply be black and blue for weeks. Xena already cast first blood and Anastasia was glad to return the favor. Everyone watching was not helping either. Gabrielle watched the shamaness, Ursula observe the fight from afar. She looked displeased as did her husband and rightfully they should be. This fight was hard to for anyone to watch and it became increasingly embarrassing to see the grown women beat on one another.

Xena had forgone her sword, grabbed her daughter by the biceps and then shoved her into the grass. Now on top of her daughter with pinned arms to the ground she was willing to stop. Anastasia did not want to stop. Gabrielle saw that fire in her eyes. She was livid and her mother was giving her a chance to stop the fight.

"Enough, Anastasia!"

The queen struggled against her mother and spat in her face, "You're always trying to undermine me! When will you ever recognize that I am queen and my word is more powerful than yours?"

"I am not trying to override you! I'm trying to help you!"

"Stop  _helping_ ," Ana said. "You're not helping!"

Xena released a breathy groan and head butted her daughter's forehead. Anastasia's head reared back on the grass for only a moment and she tried to get up and was met with her mother's forehead again. And again. And again until blood was drawn at the forehead.

Gabrielle hastily grabbed her wife's sword lain in the grass and ran up behind her. She whacked the commander on the back of the head with the sword's hilt. She'd struck her so violently and with such force that Xena fell to the side of her daughter. She was rendered unconscious. The governor breathed heavily and stared at Anastasia lying on her back, chest rising and falling with haste.

She looked to the bystanders and pointed the sword at them. "Go back home! There's nothing to see here!" she shouts and the citizens quietly entered their respected yurts.

Ursula shook her head and whispered to her husband. "Bring Anastasia to the Adame. I will tend to Xena."

* * *

Gabrielle did everything the Suevi shamaness asked. She was eager to help but she could tell Ursula liked to work alone. The Suevi Hun was very tedious with her work and she liked to do things a certain way. Perhaps it wasn't the way that Xena wanted it to be, but whatever she was doing was working. Now it was Gabrielle who felt guilty. She had struck her wife but it was only to save her. Xena was beating her daughter senseless and she wasn't going to stop.

Ellac found out about the fight hours after and he was furious. If Xena wasn't unconscious he'd probably have hit her himself. Anastasia was conscious and Gabrielle visited her only a few times over the last few days. She could tell the queen felt incredible remorse for how she acted. She was mortified and ashamed of herself. She encouraged her mother to fight her and she knew her mother, being the strong warrior she'd been for decades, was going to have the upper hand. No amount of training or years of ruling as queen and warrior was going to change her fighting skills against her mother.

Ursula wrapped a fresh bandage around Xena's head and gently lay her back down on the pillows. Gabrielle nervously paced around the bedroom and didn't bear to look at the bloody linens in the dirty hamper.

"I've done all that I can do," she told the governor.

"Will she be alright?"

"The bleeding in the back of her head has stopped. It was a slow trickle this morning but now it's clotted and will heal." Ursula gathered her satchel of assorted herbs and odd vials of strange liquids that Gabrielle was not to question. Those shamans certainly used several herbs, potions and teas to fix the sick.

She stood and threw the satchel strap over a shoulder. "You hit a soft spot which caused a lot of bleeding. She should wake up in the next couple of days. If her condition changes, come find me," she bowed her head curtly and made an exit.

"What signs of change should I look for?"

"Sweating, rapid eye movement, bleeding. I am positive she will be fine but one can't be too sure." The shamaness gave a brief smile and left the yurt.

Gabrielle plopped onto the bed and gripped her wife's hand. She felt horrible but she couldn't stand by and watch the two fight any longer. Their fight was unnecessary and the two had been at each other's throats for two weeks.

"You're too stubborn for your own good," she whispered to her. Xena lay there in bed, serene and at peace. She smiled softly and scooted closer. "You're both stubborn. It didn't have to end up like this. I didn't have to hit you but you wouldn't stop, Xena. You wouldn't. And Ana showed no signs of stopping either," she explained to her unconscious other half.

"Maybe when you're feeling better, you two can talk," she said. Gripping her wife's hand tightly she spoke yet again, "Anastasia feels awful about what happened. I can only hope that you feel the same way. You lost control, Xena. You know I don't like it when you do that. And I hope you can forgive me. I had to stop you because I knew you weren't going to. But it's my fault that you're laid up in bed like this." She sighed deeply and rest her head on her wife's thigh.

* * *

The women gathered around for a late breakfast. Anastasia sat on the floor and served her youngest daughter then handed off the bowl of yogurt to the khatun. Everyone in the circle was silent and refused to bring up the subject, everyone but Arielle.

"If you knew you were going to lose, why did you fight grandma?" she asks her mother.

The queen frowned and felt her head throb at the question. She was not nearly as beaten as her mother who was in bed days after their quarrel. She did have the bruises on her forehead and jaw to prove that she tried at least. If it weren't for Gabrielle, she'd probably be the one unconscious right now. She knew she couldn't avoid her daughter's question.

"It wasn't a matter of losing or winning, Arielle," she put it plainly. "It was foolish of us to go on like we did." She didn't want to talk about the debacle anymore. She felt bad enough and her pride was crushed.

"Why were you two fighting anyway?"

Anastasia draws her eyebrows in together and glared at her persistent and nosy daughter. "It was stupid. It was my fault. Do you want some of this or not?" she presented a plate filled with freshly made eggs with perfect golden runny yolks.

Before the princess could answer, Anastasia threw two eggs onto her plate. Arielle stared at the eggs and then to her mother who was seemingly throwing things around on the rug. Kreka ripped her bread in half and for once she kept her mouth shut. Cera bust the egg with her fork and Arielle cringed, watching the yolk run across the plate.

Anastasia scooped a big helping of the spiced yogurt onto Arielle's plate and set the bowl down. Arielle eyed the yogurt seeping into the hot eggs and anxiously looked around at everyone across and beside her. She didn't feel like eating was going to settle her stomach at the moment and Cera dipping the bread into the runny yolk was not helping visually either.

In the middle of chewing, the queen eyed her daughter's untouched plate. "Why aren't you eating?"

"I…am not very hungry," said Arielle.

"It's your favorite," she pushes the plate closer to the princess.

Arielle wagged her head and felt nauseous staring at the yogurt smothered eggs.

Anastasia frowned and set down her bread. All chewing halted around the breakfast circle. Arielle's eyes widened at her mother and felt she was to do something irrational or perhaps yell. Ana picked up the untouched plate.

"Eat it."

The two stared down each other and then Anastasia threw the plate of food over Arielle's head. It smashed against the wall and eggs slid covered the wooden décor. Cera gasped and covered her ears in reaction. Arielle spun around with her mouth ajar.

"Anastasia!" Kreka yelled. "Whatever it is you're angry about; don't take it out on everyone else."

Ana got up and left the women's quarters. Arielle put a hand to her racing heart and stared at her horror-struck little sister and mentor, Nisa, who also had the same look. The khatun offered to make another plate but Arielle declined and hurried out of the room just as her mother did.

* * *

After the queen took a half hour to cool down by pacing around outside she decided to make her way to her mother's yurt. When she stepped inside it was eerily quiet. Days passed since she last spoke to her mother and their words were not exactly verbal but physical. She poked her head through the curtains and Gabrielle was sitting beside her wife, holding her hand, waiting.

Gabrielle turned her head and it was no use to hide any longer. Ana walked in and came to stand by her mother's bedside. It was unclear if the governor was upset or not. Maybe she was hiding her true feelings. Ana got the gist that Gabrielle wanted to whack her upside the head too. The fight was foolish and stupid just like she explained to Arielle.

"How is she doing?" she asks meekly. Her embarrassment and shame was clearly written on her face.

"She hasn't woken up yet but the bleeding stopped. Ursula is a good healer," Gabrielle responded and stared at her wife's frozen features.

The fingertips of the queen rimmed the lining of the bed and she sheepishly spoke, "I lost control of my emotions and I shouldn't have done that."

"You both bottled your emotions inside and blew up at each other. This is not your fault alone. Besides, I did this to her."

"No, Gabrielle. I did this to my mother, not you," she says and sat down on the floor slowly. Her body ached and her muscles ripped with soreness that she hadn't experienced in many moons. "I am grateful you stopped her when you did but this is my doing. I shouldn't have provoked her. I was angry."

That was one thing Gabrielle couldn't understand. "Why were you so angry, Ana? I've never seen you two fight like that before."

The queen sighed heftily and shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. Perhaps it is everything –warring with several enemies simultaneously. I am stressed and I took it out on her which I shouldn't have." She went on to say, "I took out my anger on Arielle earlier. I threw a plate of food at her because she wouldn't eat it."

Gabrielle's eyes widened but she felt the queen's pain. "If you ever feel overwhelmed I'm always here to listen."

Anastasia thanked her with a silent nod. She turned her attention to her ailing mother and felt the guilt overcome her. "She's right. We should attack Justinian from within. Sending spies to Persia will only delay the impending war. I should've listened to her. She's always right."

Gabrielle chuckled. "Your plans are valid, Ana. You are the queen and have the final say but she's your commander. I think you've forgotten that. She's your mother but she wasn't speaking to you like a mother. She was addressing you as queen and you made it personal. I know how she can be when she's set in her ways but her plans hardly ever fail. She's the best asset you've got."

She nodded. "I will send a letter to Csaba and ask for his troops. When she wakes, I'll talk to her." She stood and wiped her eyes. "Now if you'll excuse me I owe someone an apology."

The way she reacted to Arielle was not sane nor was it called for. She must have left her daughter in a very fragile state of mind and nobody needed to fear their parent figure over a plate of eggs. But it really wasn't the eggs fault now was it?


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44 – _Tremors Part I_

Days passed and Ursula checked on her patient religiously. The bleeding in back of the commander's head stopped and she did move in her sleep more often now. Everyone within the camp became more concerned for her health, especially Gabrielle. She worried that her reaction was poor. She went over this with herself for days and Anastasia kept blaming it on herself but Gabrielle kept quiet. She knew this was her fault entirely.

She tended to her over the week and when she was busy preparing food in the other room Xena woke up with a splitting headache. Moans and groans filled the room and Gabrielle rushed in with a big smile. Her wife had several injuries over the years but never had she been in bed for this long, especially unconscious.

She ran over to the bed and touched the side of her wife's head. "You're awake!" she cheers softly, careful not to startle her. The expression her wife emits was not the one she was expecting. Xena was angry. She'd been angry for weeks and it seemed it continues even now.

Xena remembered everything that happened during her quarrel with her daughter. After she was struck in the back of her head, she remembered nothing. But she did know that she was unable to finish the duel with Ana and that is was due to Gabrielle's interference.

The blonde backed away from the bed and fiddled with her fingers anxiously behind her back. "How do you feel? You've been out for a week now. I was worried you wouldn't wake up. Do you remember what happened?"

Her wife nodded slowly and clenched the sheets. She felt a bit paralyzed and lay in bed, glaring at her wife. A snarl of her upper lip did nothing to calm the governor.

"I told you to stay out of it, Gabrielle," she spoke in a raspy voice.

"Xena…I –I'm sorry. You were beating Anastasia so badly that I didn't know what to do –"

"Nothing!" she yelled. "You should have done  _nothing_!" she closed her eyes and felt her head throb. Reaching over for a glass of water she slowly sat herself up and Gabrielle tried to help her. She put up a hand and her wife slowly retracted her steps.

After she quenched her thirst by drinking the entire glass she turned her gaze over to the nervous blonde wife of hers. "I wasn't going to kill Anastasia," she rebuked. "She was going to surrender and you interfered after I said not to."

Gabrielle frowned and put a hand to her hip. "You weren't going to stop! The fight was ridiculous and you know it!"

"No! You don't understand, Gabrielle. She challenged me and she was losing so I wanted her to see that she was wrong. I was in complete control. If I wanted to kill her I would have." She rubbed the back of her head and felt the stitches graze against her fingers. "You struck me."

"Xena, I'm sorry. I don't like it when you two fight. Anastasia feels horrible about this. She said she provoked you and shouldn't have."

The ill commander scowled and ran a palm down her aching thigh. "Good. She should feel like that. I wanted her to feel that way because she was wrong and I was right," she said with such calmness. "As for you, I told you to stay out of it and you ignored my wishes and instead you…hit me?"

Gabrielle's face paled and she didn't expect her wife to be like this when she awoke. She expected her to feel just as remorseful as Ana did but that just wasn't the case. This was taking a turn for the worst and now she really didn't know how to respond or what to do to fix what she had done.

"I couldn't watch it anymore, Xena. I can't watch you two fight the way that you do. I didn't know…I –"

"Save it."

Xena sighed and looked at the soiled clothes she was still in. She needed to change and take a bath but that'd seem impossible considering that she could barely sit up on her own let alone stand. She would need help and she didn't want any aid from her wife.

"I was unable to finish the duel and that's something I've never done before," she admitted shamefully. Although it wasn't her fault, she'd have to finish it somehow. "Bring Kreka here."

"I can help you bathe," Gabrielle offered with a hand.

Her wife turned her cheek. "I  _said_  bring Kreka here. I don't like repeating myself."

* * *

The khatun was surprised to find Gabrielle come to her room. She rarely had guests and when she did they were usually her sons or grandson, Kurt, but no it was Gabrielle. The request was an odd one and she sensed much sadness and worry in the blonde Greek woman when she spoke to her. Kreka helped the commander to the communal bathhouse and asked everyone inside to leave.

Now that they were alone she tended to Xena and poured water over her hair. She then soaped up her arms with a hot wet cloth. She gently massaged the oil into the commander's hair, careful not to get any of the oil in the wound's stitches. She knew something was wrong when she was the one bathing Xena instead of her wife.

The two sat in silence for awhile until Kreka got up the nerve to address the strangeness of their situation. "Why am I here?"

Xena poured water over her arms and turned around to face the bemused khatun. "I want you to do something for me."

The queen mother dried her hands and stared at the commander's stone cold face. "And what is that exactly?"

"I want you to have a duel with Gabrielle. Take my place and fight with her."

Kreka's face contorts in abhorrence. "I will not."

"She interfered with Ana's challenge after I told her not to. If I wasn't so injured, I'd fight her myself," she explained. "You are the best warrior here, aside from me," she smiled and Kreka raised an eyebrow. "I'm asking you to do this for me. You know it is the right thing to do."

"She will be beaten to a pulp if I fight her."

Xena nodded. "And that's why I pick you to stand in my place. Will you do it or not?"

"You aren't giving me a choice. You're ordering me."

"That's right."

Kreka closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You want pain inflicted on the person you claim to love?"

"This has nothing to do with love. She didn't listen to me when I told her not to get in my way. Now will she understand the way we handle things around here. This is not personal."

"These duels are always personal, Xena. Stop with the bullshit," she stood and grabbed a couple of towels. She did not want to participate in this rebuttal duel. Gabrielle had lived here for a long time and still she did not grasp how arguments were sometimes solved around here. It had been awhile since a duel ensued among family members but they were not uncommon.

Kreka held out one of the towels and helped the commander step out of the hot bath. "How badly do you want me to hurt her?"

"I'll give you a signal to stop but don't hold back."

* * *

Anastasia was immediately informed of the duel and tried to talk her mother out of it. The first time she'd spoken words to her in a week and this is what happens. Gabrielle was to fight Kreka and she could only imagine what the governor was feeling right now. Her mother was adamant about this and she wasn't going to stop until her wife was taught to stay out matters that did not concern her.

She could understand why Gabrielle was so upset and she did understand why she did what she did. She too felt the same way when she was a child and watched her mother fight against the khatun. It was a similar argument that she had with her mother a week ago. Kreka was upset that Xena's word meant more to Attila than hers. Kreka felt ignored and grew increasingly jealous over Xena's and Attila's friendly relationship so she challenged her.

Ana remembered how badly beaten both of them were and Attila broke up the fight. Neither side was victorious but after that, the two women seemed to be more at ease with each other. It wasn't until a few years later, five to be exact, when Ana was fifteen, that the two settled their differences with each other and grew closer.

She wasn't sure who was a worse opponent –her mother or Kreka. They were both very good warriors and excellent in hand to hand combat. Gabrielle wasn't too bad herself since her wife trained her but she wasn't as skilled as the others in the tribe. Anastasia did not want to watch this because she knew it was going to be ugly.

Kreka walked out into the field in dark pants, boots and a light tunic. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Gabrielle was given word by the khatun herself what was to happen and she was at a loss for words. She stood on the opposite side of the field with sword in her hand. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest.

She glanced over to the commander who sat in a chair far from the field but close enough to watch. She looked at her with pitiful big green eyes but her wife was not feeling very merciful right now. She knew her wife was beyond angry and when Kreka told her that she was the one who wanted to fight her, that only churned her insides.

This was worse than the Roman games in the arena, she thought. If Kreka was disturbed she sure didn't show it. Gabrielle had several sparring sessions with Xena before but none with Kreka. She did often enjoy watching her wife and the khatun spar together because they were so intense and often met their match. But this was not amusing at all. She didn't know what to expect.

Anastasia walked over to her mother and folded her arms. "Why are you doing this? She apologized to you already. She blames herself for everything."

Xena smirked. "You women seem to think you know everything. Gabrielle is ten years younger than I am. And I'm only twenty years your senior, Anastasia, yet you still don't know how things operate around here. We both told her to stay out of it and now she will learn. You know how this works."

"This is very cruel of you mother."

"Cruel?" she turned her aching head up to her daughter. "Why is it I am always the one who is deemed wrong when in fact I am right? These are the rules. I am not cruel for following our customs."

"Kreka is going to maul her."

Xena shook her head. "I won't let it go that far. Signal the duel, why don't you?"

Ana frowned and her mother waved her hand, urging her to let the fight begin. She groaned and raised a hand in the air to which Kreka grabbed her sword and Gabrielle nervously approached the center field.

Gabrielle felt like she was seeing her life flash before her eyes. Everything Xena taught her didn't seem to render in this fight. Her mind was blank. She stood there like a fish out of water and got smacked in the face by the khatun's elbow and then knocked off her feet as well. She lay on her back and heard a whooshing sound from above.

She rolled out of the way of the khatun's blade which struck soil. She jumped up and Kreka gave her a somewhat apologetic look but she definitely didn't hold back. Kreka grabbed the governor's arms and rammed her into a tree. She groaned and the harder the khatun pushed, the bark of the tree dug into her backside.

"Why do you not fight me?" the khatun whispered.

Gabrielle moaned and felt blood trickle down her back. "I –I don't want to fight you."

"Then this isn't going to end well for you."

She pushed the governor off the tree and kicked her in the midsection. Gabrielle gasped for air and although she was being kicked in several places she held onto her sword. The more she was being attacked the angrier she became. Kreka was supposed to be Xena. She took her place and for that Gabrielle didn't want to fight back.

Another swift boot went into her side and finally she rolled over and thrust her sword upward. Kreka grinned and the iron clashed. Gabrielle's eyes darted to her wife sitting with Anastasia. She understood why her wife was doing this. Xena was livid. Gabrielle thought that apologizing was enough but it wasn't. This duel was going to be the apology even if she'd be black and blue for days to come.

A half hour went by and the duel continued. Kreka did not seem to be the least bit tired and she did receive a cut to her arm and leg but that was all. Gabrielle was having trouble standing up. Her eyes were sunken from exhaustion. Her skin red from the heat and constant fighting. Her body mangled with cuts, bruises and gashes gifted by her wife's steadfast stand-in fighter.

She walked forward, gripping the sword tightly. Kreka raised her eyebrow, not believing the governor wanted more from her. Her eyes darted to Xena who sat, watching with a calm face. Anastasia hid her face, unable to watch Gabrielle struggle anymore.

Kreka blocked the poorly executed attack and saw the exhaustion on the governor's face. She pitied her and didn't want to do this any longer. "Have you enough?" she asked and Gabrielle smiled softly. She was ready to fight back again until Gabrielle dropped her blade and collapsed onto the ground in front of Kreka's boots.

Xena tapped her fingers on her knee and was waiting for her wife to get up off the ground. Kreka looked her way and wagged her head. She didn't think Gabrielle would collapse like that, at least not so soon. This was not fun to watch anymore.

"Take her to the yurt," she said to her daughter. She got out of the chair steadily otherwise if she rose too quickly she'd surely pass out herself. She walked alone to the yurt with a hand to her throbbing head.

* * *

The next morning Gabrielle awoke with a horrible headache. She tried to move but was stuck to the bed. Her eyes roamed around and realized she was inside the yurt on the bed. One of her eyes was swollen shut and her good eye wasn't any better than the other. She lifts one of her arms and blinks at the bandages wrapped around the entirety of her flesh. She felt like she belonged in a sarcophagus with the amount of bandages her body was dressed in.

She attempted to roll over but couldn't and groaned. She heard soft breathy exhales beside her and immediately her head whipped around. Her wife soundly sleeping beside her. From the moment she woke up yesterday the two did not share kind words with each other. Gabrielle grazed her fingers along her wife's cheek.

Ursula walked in with fresh linen and set the basket down then pulled her veil back. "Kreka sends her apologies," she says, alarming the injured blonde.

Gabrielle licked her dry lips. "It wasn't her fault. I brought…this on myself."

"She was waiting for Xena to signal her to stop fighting. But since Xena didn't, per the rules, she had to keep fighting." She explained and Gabrielle tried to nod her head. "Let me see your eye," she sat down and poked and prodded the blonde's face. Gabrielle tried to steer away and the shamaness grabbed her cheeks firmly. "You squirm too much," she griped.

When she dressed the governor's sore and swollen eye, she nudged her head to the sleeping commander. "I gave her a few opiates. She shouldn't have gotten out of bed so quickly after her injury."

Gabrielle crookedly smiled. "She is…very stubborn."

"As are you," said Ursula. The blonde said nothing in return but did give a blank dumbfounded stare. "I watched the duel, Gabrielle. I saw everything. You should not have gotten in their way. Ebnedzar was about to intercede and I stopped him."

She frowned sadly and looked at her wife who was very much still in pain from what she did. "I just didn't want either of them to get hurt but…it looks like I've hurt more people than I wanted to, including myself."

Ursula smiled and wrapped fresh gauze around Gabrielle's thigh. "We care for those we love and we never want to see them hurt," she says wisely. "I do recall you and Xena fought often over her protectiveness over you."

Gabrielle's cheeks flushed and she understood where the Suevi Hun was going with this conversation.

"You wanted her to stop protecting you and now look at you trying to do the same to her."

She tied the gauze off into a knot and washed her hands in the basin. Gabrielle licked her dry upper lip and said softly, "This was different…" she tried to defend her ill actions.

Ursula frowned and grabbed the basket of linen and held it under her arm. "Yes, it is different," she emits. "Because you could have killed her." She left the governor alone and speechless as she left the yurt.

Gabrielle's mouth still agape, had come to the realization that what she did was not only a poor reaction but could have ended far worse. She was too worried about what she was feeling instead of just listening to Xena in the first place. Now she was in bed, black and blue, cut up and slashed, all because of her actions.

* * *

When Farah gave birth to Edemen she couldn't wait to be rid of Anastasia. She felt smothered for an entire year before she and Csaba moved to Banat. But now, after she had her sons who she named Aman and Aladar, she was very grateful Anastasia offered to stay for more than a month after the birth. Rabia was always a great help but since Farah was bed ridden for an entire month the care her sister provided just wasn't enough.

Even when Anastasia was called back to Pannonia, Farah begged her to stay for awhile longer. She didn't think she could watch two babies at once by herself. But once Ana departed from Banat, she got used to taking care of her sons and Edemen helped a lot more than she expected. Csaba often said their son was very spoiled and sometimes lazy when it came to doing simple tasks. Luckily for them both, their son, almost six years old, was always with his brothers willing to help.

Now, two months later, Farah had this bright idea that she wanted to learn how to use a sword. She and Csaba were in the courtyards behind their large palace. Csaba was reluctant to teach his wife the ways of the sword only because she was very squeamish and didn't like pain. Being in the room during delivering Edemen was proof enough.

She held the heavy sword in hand and smiled at her husband. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, laughing quietly at her sunny disposition. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her.

"Yes, we've been over this many times. All the women in your family are great warriors. I want to learn so maybe one day if you're not here, I will have to protect myself and our children. Come now, show me your ways," she urged.

He walked over to her and fixed her stance with a swift rotation of her hips. He then walked round behind her and placed his hand over hers that held the hilt of the blade. He instructed her how to hold the weapon properly.

"First thing about a weapon; it's not a toy as my grandmother says," he tells her in all seriousness. "When you're ready to strike your opponent, never hesitate."

"Got it. No hesitation. Just slice through them, right?"

He chuckles. "Yes." He steps away and she lowered the sword. "Hey, keep the blade up. Your wrists are weak. You need to train yourself to hold that up."

Farah gasped. "My god, this is so heavy though!"

"You want to learn don't you?" he said and she nodded. "Then you will hold that for at least five minutes if you can. It will take awhile for you to get the hang of it. Once you're able to hold it up with one hand then we will spar."

"Are you serious? This is my lesson for the day? Holding this heavy sword?"

He folded his arms. "Farah, stop being a spoiled woman and do as I say. I'm your teacher now."

She grumbled and put her free hand on the hilt and did as told. He snickered as he watched her. As she was struggling to keep the weight off the blade up in the air the ground shook violently. Farah stumbled backward and the sword dropped to the ground and she did as well.

Csaba ran over and wrapped an arm around her. The tremors stopped a few moments later and some of the statues in the courtyard toppled over into the grass. They both breathed deeply and looked into each other's eyes with concern. Farah turned to the palace when cries of her sons echoed from upstairs.

She pushed him away and ran inside the palace bypassing Edemen who crossed her path. He was about to tell her what just happened but she ran upstairs quickly accompanied by her sister. The prince ran over to Csaba.

"Dad, did you feel that? What happened? Did we get attacked?"

Csaba frowned and looked around at the soldiers running outside the perimeter of the palace, searching for a possible attack. It seemed everyone was just as confused as he was. He rests a hand on his son's head. "I don't think so…"

"What was it then?" Edemen persisted.

"An earthquake I believe." It was the only logical thing he could think of because there no were signs of foreigners in Banat. "Go help your mother with your brothers."

The child frowned and crossed his arms. "Rabia says I am too clingy. I don't even know what that means!"

Csaba rolled his eyes and pushed his son back into the palace. "Go help her, please. Don't listen to your aunt."

* * *

Two weeks after the steamy argument with Xena, Anastasia and Gabrielle, and still things were not the same around the camp. Anastasia continued to be silent and curt with everybody in the Adame much to Ellac's dismay. He hated being around his wife when she was like this and instead of dealing with it he took leave to Dalmatia. He was to scope out the builders working on the ships Ana commissioned. It was a good ride away from Pannonia and he was anxious to get away from the women.

Xena mostly stuck to staying in her yurt and despite Gabrielle's continuous apologies, she wasn't ready to forgive her just yet. Her head wound had healed on the outside but the headaches came and went more frequently. She shared few words with her wife and took sleep to heal her migraines. She was increasingly filled with angst and boredom being confined to bed most of the day. She had yet to go into the field to train the recruits and wondered how long her life was going to be like this. Ursula had been most helpful with her specialty teas and herbs. Rest was encouraged and no fighting was advised but that was difficult.

Gabrielle delved into her duties as governor and served Anastasia and Kreka for the last two weeks. There was a mission to be conducted soon and she hoped her wife would be up for it. She considered asking Arielle to come with her but she knew that'd probably enrage her wife and Ana alike. She did catch the queen in Ebnedzar's yurt a few times.

She didn't like to spy on people but she happened to pass by one day and saw them together. They were smoking copious amounts of opium and hashish. That stress relief was the only thing Anastasia used to calm herself. She kept this to herself and didn't want to butt into anyone's business anymore. She and Kreka shared more words together than she did with her significant other. It was unusual to spend so much time with the khatun but Gabrielle knew that she felt bad for beating her so badly per Xena's request.

Arielle didn't spend much of her time talking to anyone over the last couple of weeks. Anastasia was too busy to notice her daughter's odd behavior and nobody else seemed to care. Bayan came to visit once more during the tense atmosphere and she was able to pry information from him again. She found out that Bolgaris was in charge of Hormizd's army now and the Vandals were still in Persia.

She also found out that her brother's ex-fiancée, Erzibet, was crowned as lieutenant for her older cousin's army. Bayan also mentioned that Erzibet was organizing an attack on the Huns in Balaam again. She hated to hear that news because her father had suffered enough with the Sabir Queen and the Vandals ransacking Gokturk territory.

She could do the responsible thing and tell her family what was happening in Persia but it would ruin everything between her and Bayan. He was right. They couldn't keep hiding like this. She kept so many secrets from her family already and now her family in Balaam was to be attacked again. She tried to ask Bayan if he knew anything inside Justinian's empire but he didn't seem to respond to that question. He too was keeping secrets from her.

Arielle's eyes opened to an empty bed and she groaned at the sun beaming in her face. She slipped her fingers in between her legs and frowned deeply. Pulling her fingers out she grimaced at the dryness. Her fingers were dry to the bone.

She sat up and slammed her hand on the sheets angrily. Then she got out of bed and walked over to the mirror and examined her body, turning from side to side. She ran her palm over her flat abdomen and cursed under her breath. Two blood cycles missed.

At the first cycle missed she deduced it to be stress but now that her body was dry, she knew it wasn't that. She sighed, staring at herself in the mirror, her eyes fixated on her abdomen.

Anastasia opened the door and Arielle gasped and hid behind the mirror to hide her naked flesh. "Mother!" she yelled, very embarrassed.

The queen smiled softly. "I know what your body looks like. No need to hide."

"You can't just walk in here!" she grabbed a robe and flung it onto her body then stepped out to face her mother with red cheeks.

"I came in here to check on you. You've been sleeping all day."

Arielle smoothed out her unkempt hair. "I'm fine, mother."

"Uh huh. Are you coming down to eat with us or shall I send food to your room  _again_?" she asked with furrowed eyebrows. "You've eaten in your room by yourself for three days. I would like it if you came downstairs and ate with everyone else."

"I'm not hungry."

"Okay, I'm ordering you to come eat with us."

Arielle was not in the best of moods to argue with her mother. "I'll be down a minute." She walked over to her dresser and sniffed the air and turned to her mother with perplexed eyes. "Have you been smoking opium?"

Anastasia opened her mouth to reply and the entire Adame shook for a few moments. Arielle grabbed the dresser and Ana put her hands on the doorframe to steady herself. The tremors halted and the bows on the wall fell to the floor along with two arrow holsters.

"What…was  _that_?" asked Arielle.

* * *

The light tremors traveled throughout the camp for only a few seconds. An entire tea set fell off the table inside the yurt and Gabrielle panicked when the tea spilled all over her work. She scrambled and crawled across the rug to try to save the soaked parchment. She wafts the paper in the air and cursed quietly. All the ink had smeared and began to melt off the parchment from the scalding tea.

"Dammit," she mutters. She tossed the soiled parchment to the side and picked up the tea set and put it back on the table.

She was cautious around her wife these last couple of weeks. While her wounds had somewhat healed from the duel with Kreka, she was still in a grave amount of pain when she stretched her arms or walked too quickly, causing strain on her bruised ankles. Loud noises were not to her wife's liking and due to boredom she began sewing because it was very quiet and kept her busy.

She walked into the bedroom and Xena sat on the bed, sewing silently. It was rare to see the commander be homebound and take up knitting and sewing. She was so used to seeing her wife polishing boots or sharpening swords.

"I think that was an earthquake," she said, hoping to catch her wife's attention. All she got was a simple head nod. She waltzed over to the bed and smiled, taking a good look at all the outfits her wife made. "Are these for Farah's boys?"

Xena nodded and dug the needle into the fabric. She lifted her eyes and stared at her wife's bruised cheeks. "How are your injuries?"

"Better with each day." She hardly shared words with her wife and she wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't sure if Xena was still angry at her or if she wanted peace and quiet. "How's your head? Do you still have headaches? I could get some more opiates from Ursula. I know she has an abundance of the plant."

Xena cringed and stopped sewing. "Gabrielle, you're talking too loud."

She quieted down. "Sorry." She sat on the bed in silence for a few moments, trying to occupy herself by examining the baby clothes her wife made. "I love you a lot, you know that."

"I love you too, Gabrielle." She smiled softly and went back to sewing.

"I…I'm really sorry about what I did. I shouldn't have gotten in the way. I should have listened and I'm sorry. I don't know what else to do to make you believe me."

Xena set her sewing supplies aside and stared at the frazzled blonde. "I know you're sorry, Gabrielle. You've said it several times."

"Ursula said something to me and it's been bothering me," she admitted. Xena relaxed on the pillows and stretched her legs out, intent on listening. "When she was tending to my wounds the day after the duel, she mentioned that you and I argued a lot because I was tired of you protecting me. You'd let anyone hurt you before anything happened to me. She said I did the same thing when you were fighting with Anastasia but instead of protecting you, I hurt you. I guess that makes me a hypocrite," she chuckled softly. "I didn't think that I hurt you that badly, Xena. I just didn't want to see you pommel Anastasia into the ground like you did. I didn't think."

"You didn't," Xena agreed. "I appreciate your reasoning behind what you did, Gabrielle. It's kind of you to think you had to protect Anastasia from me. You've always been very compassionate of those you care about and that should never change."

Gabrielle sensed a 'but' coming on.

"But when I tell you to stay out of my way, it isn't because I want to insult you or shut you out. That fight was between me and Anastasia. This isn't the first time this has happened," she said. Her wife cast a confused frown. "Kreka and I had a similar fight a very long time ago before you were even in the picture. We beat each other so badly that we were in bed for weeks. Attila interfered and put a stop to it."

"And that's why you made me fight with her because I was really fighting  _you_ …"

Xena smiled and grabbed her wife's hand. "It's just a way we blow off some steam around here sometimes."

Gabrielle felt really stupid right about now and she turned away to hide her shame. "I didn't know…" she admitted softly. "I know I've said this a thousand times but I'm really sorry. Will you ever forgive me?"

The commander pulled her hand away, reluctant to answer that long awaited question. "Would you like to help me finish these? I want to send them to Farah in a few days."

Of course she wasn't ready to forgive me, Gabrielle thought. She tried to put on her best face and not allow tears to flow freely. She picked up a needle and one of the outfits and spread it out on their bed. Her wife smiled crookedly and handed her a spool of thread.

* * *

Arielle sequestered her friend Rose in a tight corner of the camp. They stood in between two large yurts which were made sure that they were empty. Arielle frantically looked around, checking to see if anyone was listening or could be listening. Rose laughed at the princess.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Why are we meeting here? This is so secretive!" Rose grinned, feeling the adrenaline rush through her body.

Arielle pulled out a small note and shoved it in her friend's face. "I want you to go to Ursula's yurt and ask for these two items."

Rose raised an eyebrow and turned to gawk at the Suevi Hun area. "That weird shaman woman? No way, Arielle. She gives me the creeps." She tried to surrender the note. "Why don't you do it? You know her better than I do."

"Because she will question why I need those items," Arielle pressured her friend in a low voice. "She will tell my mother so I really need you to do this for me. Please?"

Rose opened the note to see the items the princess wanted and her eyes widened. "Henbane and mandrake root? Arielle, this stuff can be lethal you know. Are you planning to kill someone?"

"Sure, let's go with that." She grabbed Rose by the shoulders and pushed her out into the open. "Don't mention my name."

"What am I supposed to say I need this for? Will she just give these to me without question?"

Arielle groaned and pulled her friend back into their small corner. "Just tell her that you need to get rid of a problem. She won't question you. Now go!" she whispered and Rose stared at her friend strangely but went on about her way to Ursula's yurt.

* * *

Ditron returned to camp much later than expected but he was held up. He ran into the Adame to tell Anastasia and Ellac what happened when he was spying on the Goths and Franks. He was surprised to find Ana alone and without Ellac by her side. He was also surprised to find her with the king's elder brother in the conference room smoking opium.

He ignored the smoke filled room and spoke as if the thick cloud did not bother him. He explained that Ragnachar, the king of the Franks, was collecting men to war with the Goths. But there was new information that the Huns should have been privy too long ago. King Theodoric of the Visigoths was killed five years ago and the Ostrogoth king by the name of Alaric was in charge.

Ditron tried to remember everything that happened, including almost being kidnapped by the Franks during his mission. He was lucky to get away when he did. He mentioned that the new Goth king requested Hun aid but was too fearful to make his way to Pannonia.

Anastasia blew out a cloud of smoke in his face and lounged on a couch, staring at her uncle. "The Goths want our help?" she asks to clarify.

"Yes. He wants a new relationship with the Huns. Now that Theodoric is dead, the Visigoths are warring against the Ostrogoths. He wants help."

She snickered and nudged Ebnedzar. "The Goth king wants  _our_  help. Would you believe that?"

Ditron frowned at his niece, a little appalled that she was not taking this as seriously as he thought. "Anastasia, this is serious. If the Ostrogoths want an alliance I think we should comply. It will save us from potential war. Plus they are about to be attacked by the Franks. Ragnachar already has troops lined up at the borders."

"Of course it is serious, uncle," she feigned innocence. "We should send a letter to our new Goth friend and ask him to come to Pannonia. Or perhaps I should send troops to him. Goths and Huns working together. How quaint is that?" she laughed and Ebnedzar laughed with her.

He huffed. "Anastasia, why are you getting high at a time like this?"

She grimaced and threw the hose down and stood up to face her mouthy uncle. "You stay out of my life. I can do what I please. This is my house." She raised her palms in the air. "I've heard your report and I will tell Ellac when he returns from Dalmatia. You may collect your pay tomorrow from Gabrielle." She sat down next to Ebnedzar and waved her hand, signaling Ditron to leave.

* * *

Rose was able to retrieve exactly what the princess asked for but she wasn't so sure what Arielle exactly needed these plants for. Arielle left her friend without answering her intrusive questions and walked up the stairs slowly to her bedroom. She held the small vial in her hand and stared at the black crushed plants within it. A fine powder of henbane and mandrake root stirred together.

She stood at the foot of her doors and gawked at the vial in her palms. She took in a deep breath and went over how she was going to do this. She would need to be alone possibly for an entire day, maybe two. She also needed tea to mix this with. She spun around and bumped into her sister.

"Cera!" she shouted. Her breath waited to catch up to her. "Don't sneak up on people like that."

The redheaded princess raised her eyebrow suspiciously at her older sister then pulled out a letter from behind her back. Arielle took the letter and it was from her brother in Balaam. He wrote that he was coming here soon after the first snowfall in Balaam. Cera seemed more excited than her. Her mind was focused on more important matters than her kid brother.

Arielle tucked the letter in her coat pocket and hid the vial from her sister by slipping it into her pants. Cera frowned and saw her sister's hand slither from behind her coat. "Is that all you wanted to give me?" she asked Cera.

The girl nodded and asked her why she was being so strange today.

"I'm not being weird," she explained with a nervous laugh.

Cera had her doubts and asked another question with her silent hands.

Arielle folded her arms, unwilling to give the time of day to her sister's annoying questions. "I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry about me," she said. Yet again she was asked another probing question. "I can eat later. Can you leave now? I am really tired and I'd like to be alone."

Cera crossed her arms, copying her sister, and blocked the path to the bedroom.

"Get out of my way, Cera, before I throw you."

The young princess sprawled her arms across the doors and Arielle growled then grabbed her by the arms and flung her aside. Anastasia walked up the stairs slowly, still reeling the effects of the opium she doused her lungs with earlier. She caught her daughters fighting in the hallway.

"Hey!" she yelled. The two princesses immediately stopped fighting and she rushed over. Cera fixed her hair and glared at Arielle. "Why can't you two get along? You used to be the best of friends."

"When I was like  _ten_  mother," retorted Arielle. "I just want to go to my room. That's all."

Ana told Cera to leave and Arielle was about to make an exit to her room. "Not you," she said. Grabbing her teenage daughter's arm she pulled her aside and stared deeply into her eyes, hoping to find something wrong with her, but she was clear. Arielle pulled her face away and cringed at her mother's invasive eyes.

"Is there something going on with you? Because if there is you can tell me."

Arielle's heart raced at her mother's hinting and prying. "No, nothing's wrong," she lied.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Arielle."

"Mom, nothing is wrong with me. Can I go to my room now?"

Anastasia knew she wasn't going to get her way by interrogating her daughter so she allowed her to pass. "You aren't in any kind of trouble, are you?"

The princess rolled her eyes. "Mom, I can handle my problems by myself."

"So, there is a problem?"

Arielle knew she chose the wrong words to display how she felt. She smiled at her mother and opened the door to her bedroom. "I was just speaking generally. Good night," she relayed and hurried into her room. The queen eyed her daughter's bedroom and shook her head then walked over to her room to rest or possibly pass out for a few hours.

* * *

A couple of days passed by and nobody seemed to be too concerned over the tremors that transpired within the camp. Gabrielle tried her best to rewrite her work that she was ruined due to the tremors days ago. She stayed up most of the night twice in a row to finish. In all her years spent living in Pannonia she'd never felt an earthquake before and if she did it was probably so miniscule that it went unnoticed.

She was busy jotting down her notes before signing them off on her brand new parchment when her wife finally emerged from the bedroom. She grinned, very happy to see her up and walking instead of staying in bed for days on end.

"I got some more opiates from Ursula. Do you want me to make some tea for you?" she offered.

Xena waved her hand and sat down. She took a look at the governor's work which was snatched away from her prying eyes. "What is that?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned about." She compiled her work in a pile away from her wife. "Are you sure you don't want any tea?"

"Gabrielle, I can do things for myself. I am not a cripple," she snidely said. The blonde's face hung and she gave a roll of her eyes. "Thank you for asking. But I am done with the opiates. Ursula is trying to drug me into oblivion. I don't know why Anastasia was so addicted to opium."

Gabrielle froze and quickly got busy organizing her paperwork. Xena noticed her wife suddenly avoiding eye contact with her and that made her suspicious. She slowly turned her head as Gabrielle went to fetch the tea that she specifically said she didn't want.

"Gabrielle…"

" _Yes_?" she answered in an unsteady voice to which she cleared the muffle out.

"Anastasia is using again, isn't she?"

Gabrielle laughed and turned around with two glasses. "Tea?" she offered but her wife was very disinterested. "Let's not talk about Ana right now. You should be recovering."

"I don't want to talk about me anymore. I'm boring and you are irritating," she griped. Her wife sat down in front of her and she did take the tea after all after she said no. "That girl loves her opium," she says and blows gently on the steamy tea.

"Xena?"

"Yes?"

"Are you still upset with me? I mean, over what I did."

The commander nursed the tea in her lap and looked at her disconcerted wife. "I am not upset at you, Gabrielle. I got my fill when Kreka fought you. I'm not going to apologize for what she did to you."

Gabrielle knew the rules as they were explained to her after the fact. She didn't expect her wife to forgive her so soon but she just needed her to know how remorseful she was. She thought she deserved much worse than a beating from the khatun but that was left to Xena's discretion.

"Thanks. I just wanted to know if you were still upset with me. I'm really so –"

"Sorry," said Xena. "I know." She gave a smile and sipped the tea. "So, care to share what you're working on? I know my daughter is keeping you busy while she's high out of her mind."

* * *

Arielle went to the dining hall before everyone else was awake. She mixed the nightshades together in a tea and poured all of contents inside the vial into the tea. The drink was bitter to the mouth and her tongue was almost painted black from the henbane powder. Over the next couple of hours, everyone trickled into the hall to eat together. She only stayed for a mere half hour then excused herself.

When she was in her room she stripped herself of her robe and sweat flowed down her face. Intense contracting of her muscles inside her abdomen caused severe cramping. She bit her tongue and leaned her hands on her bed, breathing in and out deeply. Her hand clutched her cramping insides and she felt warm liquid trickle down her legs.

She looked down at the floor at the blood at her boots. She tried to walk over to the baths and gripped onto her bed. Her eyes fluttered rapidly and she collapsed onto the floor with a loud thud. Her body rolled over on her backside and blood rushed from in between her legs and soaked her pants and the floor.

Cera was advised from her mother to take food up to her sister's room. She cursed her inability to fight back with words and instead had to use her brown eyes to convey her disapproval but she lost. She walked upstairs to her sister's room and knocked on the door, holding a tray of food laden in her arm. She groaned and knocked again.

She set the tray on the floor and turned the knob, lucky to find her sister's door was unlocked. She walked inside and knocked a third time to announce her presence. She looked around the room and circled the bed and gasped. She threw herself on the floor and shook her unconscious sister.

She slapped Arielle's cheeks and frantically glanced around the room. Her eyes went to the blood on the floor and on her sister's pants and dress. Cera frowned and lifted up her sister's dress and the entirety of her sister's thighs soaked in warm blood.

Quickly, the princess ran out of the room, only wishing she had the vocal cords to scream for her mother.

When she expressed her concern for her sister, Anastasia returned with her daughter to Arielle's room. Cera pointed to her sister lying on the floor and Ana's face paled. She ran over and knelt down, cradling her daughter's head in her lap.

She took notice of the blood all over Arielle's clothes and floor. "Go get Marsa," she ordered Cera. "Now!" she yelled and Cera ran out of the room. She touched her daughter's cheek gently and frowned sadly. She held her close to her chest and kissed the top of her head as she waited for Cera and Marsa to return.


	45. Chapter 45

**Well, after this chapter, it is going to be nonstop war and death. Prepare yourselves :D**

Chapter 45 – _Tremors Part II_

Marsa changed the princess' clothes and covered her with the blanket then stepped back, keeping her gaze low as the queen's eyes were upon her. Anastasia circled around the bed and stopped biting her fingernails and Cera held her mother's hand and trailed behind her.

"Well, what's wrong with her?" she asked.

The midwife took in a deep breath and stared at the slumbering princess. "It seems…she was carrying a child."

Ana's eyes widened and Cera's jaw dropped. " _Was_?"

"Yes, your highness."

The queen's eyes turned to her daughter lying on her back, resting soundly. She clenched her jaw and let go of Cera's hand. "You can go now," she instructed Marsa.

"She…will need to rest for a few days. She lost a lot of blood."

"Get out," Ana raised her voice and the woman grabbed the basket of soiled clothes and sheets then made her way out. Cera put a hand over her mouth and gazed at her elder sister. "Cera, leave the room please and don't tell anyone about this."

Cera backed away slowly and turned to head for the doors. Anastasia raised her eyebrow and then began searching through her daughter's drawers and belongings. She walked over to a dresser and opened the first drawer and threw clothes out onto the floor. She knelt down and went through the bedside table drawer and pulled out a small vial which was empty. Uncorking it, she smelled it and crinkled her nose.

She gripped the vial in her palm and sat down slowly in the chair next to the bed and fixed her daughter's collar and smoothed her hair down.

* * *

Gabrielle was given a letter from Csaba by one of the messengers and quickly went to Anastasia's quarters to tell her about it. Knowing that Ellac was still in Dalmatia, she had the authority to open the letter first hand. She wondered when he was planning to return. She knew that he did not like to deal with Anastasia when she was in a bad mood but they'd been together long enough to know when to back away. But the issue was that he was gone a bit too long and should have returned. It could be due to this urgent message from Csaba, she gathered.

She knocked before entering the queen's room and walked in, beginning to announce the message. She stopped talking and looked at Anastasia sitting on the floor with her head hung and hair hiding her face. Gabrielle's arm fell to her side and approached the silent queen.

"Ana?" she spoke softly.

The queen lifted her head hastily and wiped her wet cheeks. Her mind was not focused on the empire but on Arielle. She left her daughter's bedroom earlier this morning in a horrible mental state and was unable to talk to anyone else. Though she did not ask to be left alone, she was glad that people didn't barge into her room.

Gabrielle did not have the nerve to ask what was wrong as she clearly saw the queen was upset, but she could express her concern in some way. "Why were you crying? Did something happen?"

Anastasia smiled and ran fingers through her hair. "No, I'm fine," she said with a deep inhale. "You have a message for me?" she asks and held out her hand.

The governor thought it best to leave the matter alone and possibly approach it later. She took a seat on the floor with her and handed over the letter. Anastasia read it quickly and with a furrow of her thick brows, she glared at the governor.

"Byzantine citizens are flocking to Banat for safety?"

"The earthquake came from Constantinople. Csaba was told by one of the citizens that it caused flooding, mudslides and killed hundreds. Constantinople is in ruins right now. The churches are overcrowded and the citizens left."

Anastasia rubbed her chin and would have to thank her son for sending such a dire message. But now she was concerned over the amount of Byzantine citizens inside Banat. The Szekelys were not very kind to strangers. Even they only tolerate the Huns only because they had to now since Csaba reigns over them. There was another matter that needed to be discussed and that was famine and disease. It would soon spread with the foreigners in Hun territory.

She set aside her thoughts of Arielle and got up off the floor. "Csaba needs to quarantine the Byzantines. I want Farah and her boys to come here. Rabia can stand in for Farah during her absence," she began giving orders.

The two trailed out of the room and Gabrielle looked back at Arielle's room. "Is Arielle alright?"

Anastasia spun around with wide anxious eyes. "Why? What did you hear?"

"N-nothing, I was just asking. She hasn't been around that much lately." She was a bit put off by her sudden outburst.

"Oh," the queen composed herself and continued to the stairwell. "She's a little under the weather and I ordered her to rest until she feels better." Which was not far from the truth but she wasn't ready to tell anyone what happened to her daughter. "How is my mother?"

Gabrielle kept a raised eyebrow and took note of Ana's behavior. Must be the opium, she thought. "She's feeling a lot better. She started sharpening her sword this morning so that's a good sign. Although, Farah's boys are going to have clothes until the end of time!" she chuckled.

Anastasia frowned confusedly. "What?"

"Never mind," she says in a whisper. "So, I'll send someone for Farah and the children and tell Csaba about the quarantine. Anything else you wanted?"

"Yes. Get my husband back here."

* * *

Gabrielle returned to the yurt only to find several weapons on the rugs, table and sofas. She was leery to enter, fearing that her wife might attack her. But the bigger question was; why were there an array of weapons inside their home? She treads cautiously and called out to her wife.

Xena came out of the bedroom in her usual black trousers, boots and corseted tunic, cinched at the waist. "Good morning," she greets with a cheery expression.

"Morning…" Gabrielle said in return. "Xena, I don't know if I want to ask but…"

"Why are there weapons everywhere you ask? Well, let me tell you, Gabrielle." she grabbed her wife's arm and guided her to the table with a row full of sabers. "I am sharpening all of my weapons. It is amazing how dull a blade can become with a couple of weeks without proper care. Wouldn't you say so?"

The governor laughed awkwardly. "I'd say so but you don't even use half of these weapons," she observes and touched a long saber used in war only to have her hand slapped.

"Don't touch. I have had a lot of time on my hands thanks to you," she said with a teasing manner, although she knew Gabrielle still felt awful over the situation. "In case you need to hear it again, I forgive you. I should thank you for gifting me this time to sharpen all of my blades. Look at this one!" she held up a long sword that she confiscated from a Persian years ago. "Wonderful, isn't she?"

Gabrielle smiled and nodded. "It's very…sharp." She took a step back and allowed her wife to organize the weaponry as she pleased. "Xena, there's something wrong with Anastasia. She isn't being herself."

"Imagine that," the commander snorted. "Smoking opium does that to a person. What's her latest issue today? Black tar staining her clothes?" she snickered.

"I'm serious. I walked into her room and she was crying. She didn't tell me anything but maybe she will talk to you."

Xena set down a sword and leered at her wife with bemused blue eyes. It was rare to see Anastasia cry unless she was truly upset. Whatever she was going through she chose to hide it and if she wasn't willing to tell Gabrielle then it must be something worth hiding.

"I'm not going to bring attention to it. If she wants to tell me, she will," she concluded. She had enough of intruding in on her daughter's life and she knew that if Anastasia really wanted her to know, she'd come to her. "Why'd you go see her? Big things happening in the empire?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

Gabrielle smirked and sat down on a floor sofa, crossing one ankle over the other. "The earthquake that we felt came from Constantinople. Justinian's citizens fled to Banat for safety. Apparently the city is flooded and in chaos as we speak."

This news sparked the commander's interest and she no longer cared for her sharpening of weapons. "This is fantastic. Gabrielle, we can ride into Constantinople and pillage the place!" she said with such glee and excitement, it almost frightened her wife. She sat down on her knees on the floor and slapped her hands upon her wife's thighs.

"Think about it; we can finally wreak havoc on Justinian's holy city! This is the moment we've all been waiting for. And while we're at it we can attack Thermopylae too and Syracuse in Sicilia. We can expand the empire in a short time."

Gabrielle batted her eyelashes and regret telling her wife anything about this catastrophic event that occurred in the Byzantine Empire. She was worried her wife was going too hard, too fast. "Xena, you are not well enough to do anything yet. I don't think we should jump into war."

"Why the hell not?" she slapped her wife's thigh and Gabrielle gasped in slight pain. "Forget Persia. We can ravage the Roman Empire and claim it for ourselves. The Goths already hate Odoacer. It will be easy to drive him out. Perhaps we can kill him –no, I will kill him myself. I've been waiting a long time to drive my sword into the bastard." She clenched her fist with a wicked grin.

"See, I knew I was right all along about attacking Justinian. This is a sign. If there is a god, he has brought destruction on the Romans just as they deserved," she added.

The governor curled her legs close to her chest and scooted far from her eager wife. "I see you're feeling a lot better. I can talk to Ana about it if you want? I don't know what she's going to say –"

"Yes, talk to her. She will finally see that I was right. Not that I am keeping score or anything but I have a million conquests on my back and she has…" she stopped talking by the dubious look on her wife's face. "Talk to her," she says with a grin and kissed her cheek.

* * *

Arielle awoke and ran a hand over her slightly swollen and sore womb. She winced and turned her head to see her mother's big eyes gaping at her. She gasped and sat up in bed, fearing she was going to be scolded at any moment. Ana grabbed her daughter's wrist firmly.

"Good. You're awake."

The teenager breathed hastily and resisted her mother's hand. Ana moved from the chair to the bed then pulled out the empty vial and Arielle held her breath, her eyes on the vial and then to her mother's stone cold expression.

"Do you know how dangerous this stuff is? You could have killed yourself, Arielle!" she yelled and her daughter flinched. She tried a softer approach and her lips quivered. "I told you that you could come to me with anything!" her eyes blurred from tears rising. " _Anything_ , Arielle!" she shook her arm.

Arielle shed a tear and finally her wrist was free. Ana wiped her cheeks and set the vial on the bedside table. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've helped you."

"I…I didn't want you to hate me," finally she spoke and sobbed softly.

Anastasia frowned faintly and gripped her daughter's hand. "I could never hate you, Arielle. I love you more than you'll ever know. Even if you did the most horrible thing in the world, I would still love you." she kissed her hand.

"I'm sorry mother," she sobbed and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, weeping in her hair. "Will…you tell father about this?"

Ana sighed and squeezed her daughter tightly. "No, I won't." she pulled away and cupped her daughter's rosy wet cheeks. "Did you…want to keep the baby?"

Arielle sighed and dried her eyes. She wrapped her arm around her sore abdomen. "I don't know…"

She licked her lips and fell silent for a few moments. "Why didn't you?"

She lowered her eyes and twirled her hair around her finger. "I was afraid of what you'd say," she mumbled.

Anastasia's mouth parted slightly and now felt like the most horrible mother in the world. When she was pregnant at fifteen she was horrified of her own mother's reaction but it didn't turn out the way she thought. After her mother took an entire day to herself to think, she came around and supported her. Now she felt like she failed as a mother to her daughter. She evoked such fear in her daughter that she had to lie and resort to poison.

"Well…" she covered Arielle with the sheets. "You should rest. I will check on you later." She made her way around the bed and ran a hand over her ill stomach.

"Mom."

She swallowed the lump in her throat and answered with her back turned, "yes?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"No,  _tatli kiz_ ," she kept her voice steady though she felt was about to breakdown at any second. "I will send food to your room."

* * *

Bayan situated the Kidarite tribe in the city of Harran in the mountains of Assyria. He made friends quickly with the people in the city and they welcomed him and his people with open arms. They did not have quarrels with Huns which was a good thing for him. He expected some uproar from the Assyrians but many expressed their desire for the Huns to one day takeover Assyria which belonged to Justinian.

The Harran people were afraid to speak against the emperor but told Bayan in secret they hated their ruler. He told the people of Harran that he would build a new tribe and allow everyone to join if they were up for rising against the Byzantine Empire. The Assyrians agreed and were eager to be a part of a new tribe, especially one of Hunnic origin. Bayan made certain that their new tribe would flourish and he spoke often of Arielle and her family.

The Assyrians were well aware of the clan of Attila and the White Huns in Balaam. Navaz's kingdom was not far from Assyria which caused some concern for Bayan. He hoped that Arielle would come with him and live here in Harran. They were anxious to meet her as he spoke highly of her.

Harran was nothing like the flat desert the Kidarite tribe lived in. There were rolling mountains and a huge lake surrounding the green mountains which would soon turn white in the winter. He expected winter was not kind to the Assyrians and they often left the mountains to a southern city until spring season. Pannonia had mountains but not quite as large and you had to go up north to find those. Most of the plains of Pannonia were flat and filled with lush woods.

There also weren't any yurts in Harran but buildings made of mud and stone. Arielle often spoke of the huge mansions in Banat and her brother's new home. Farah's family was obviously very wealthy and the palace was almost as big as the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Bayan hoped one day that if he gathered enough funds Harran could rebuild with marble and quality stone like the Szekelys.

While he made friends with the Assyrians, he also organized a mercenary crew comprised of Kidarites and Assyrians. He sent them to Constantinople to find out what was happening there. He learned from one of the locals of a southern village in Gozan that an earthquake devastated the holy city. He would wait a few days until their return to find out just how badly Constantinople was damaged.

Bayan made himself comfortable in a home that was gifted upon his arrival. He was not used to such hospitality and enjoyed the attention from everyone in the area. One of the elders of the village offered his daughter to care for him. Ku-Ilm was her name and she was around his age. A simple looking girl with fair skin, light brown hair covered by a thick veil, and big chestnut eyes but her smile lit up an entire room.

Ku-Ilm walked into the home and he smiled at her. She placed a basin of water on the ground and offered to wash his feet. He tried to refuse several times before but knew whatever he said she wasn't going to listen to he put up with their customs here in Harran.

She poured water over his foot and carefully wiped his ankle with a damp cloth. "The girl you speak of; is she very beautiful?"

He grinned and nodded. "Yes."

"Will she come live with you here in Harran?" she asks shyly.

It was wishful thinking but he didn't want to keep sneaking around in Pannonia to see Arielle anymore. He was eighteen, almost nineteen years of age and he wanted a wife. He wanted to marry Arielle but knew her family would never approve of him because of his relation to his brother, Bolgaris. He didn't want anything to do with his brother and desired to make a name for himself with Arielle by his side.

"I hope so," he replied. "I will make a trip to see her again and propose the idea of moving to Harran. I'm sure she will love it here."

* * *

Xena walked with the governor towards Ana's room and was very anxious to talk about the possible invasion into Constantinople. This was the best news she's gotten in a very long time. She got a lecture from Gabrielle to stay in the yurt for as long as possible. The lectures didn't stop at her wife. She also was chastised by Ursula and she felt like a child with these two grown women breathing down her neck. She was sure to get a lecture from her daughter too. She was expecting it.

She sighed. "Did you get a chance to talk to Anastasia about the invasion?"

Gabrielle arched an eyebrow. "No, and that's why we're going to talk to her together. Don't be upset if she denies the request."

"How could she? It's a no brainer! We go in and ransack Constantinople and take on Odoacer's other territories. We'll finally be able to accomplish what Attila couldn't. Rome will be ours, Gabrielle. Just watch and see."

"Gabrielle! Gabrielle!" Ernak stormed in with his brother. They just arrived from their mission in Persia. Gabrielle was not expecting them to return for another week at least. She spun around at the urgency in his voice.

He breathed deeply and Dengi skid to a stop in front of the two women. Both princes smiled at the commander sheepishly and she folded her arms, glaring at the boys as she called them. Ernak spoke for the both of them, "we saw the Vandals and Byzantines in Hormizd's camp but we also saw Bolgaris. He is there and commanding a group of Persians with the help from Erzibet and Balash."

Xena snickered and peered down at her wife then whispered, "Told you that Kidarite bastard was in Persia."

She glared at the brunette warrior with a surly expression then turned to the princes. "I'll tell Anastasia. We're on our way to speak to her right now. Do you know how many men in total Hormizd has?"

Dengi counted in his head quickly and said, "probably a thousand. We couldn't be too sure. There were so many tents but Erzibet seems to be in charge. I'm sure she's got another camp somewhere. Possibly the old Kidarite area."

"I'll tell Anastasia," the governor said. The princes nodded. "Oh, could one of you do something for me?"

"Sure, Gabrielle," Dengi said.

"Ellac is in Dalmatia but Ana wants him home. Could one of you ride there and give him the message?"

Ernak frowned. "Why is he in Dalmatia?"

With that, Xena snorted and her wife elbowed her in the hip. "He's taking a vacation."

The princes knew better than to question their older brother and his wife. They knew it probably had something to do with Anastasia and the two must have had an argument of some sort. Dengizich offered to go and that left Ernak standing before the women with a big grin on his face. Xena was getting irritated by standing here for far too long. Her mind was on Constantinople and the interruption had gone on long enough. Gabrielle asked the prince what he wanted and he kept the smile on his face.

"Well, I was wondering if you could also tell Ana and my mother that I want to marry Nisa finally. We will have a small wedding in the Adame; just family. My mother can make the dress. I'd like to have the ceremony in a couple of weeks. Will you relay the message?"

Gabrielle sighed and thought she was busy enough with things around here. "Yes…I will tell them," she mumbled. He kissed her cheek and Xena's mouth parted with a small laugh. Erank winked at her then ran off to tell his soon to be wife the good news.

"He's got a heart of gold," commented Xena.

The governor wiped her cheek, shy and confused by the prince's affection. "Let's go talk to Anastasia now if there aren't any more distractions."

* * *

Three days. It had only been three days and Ana felt like it had been weeks since she last spoke to her daughter. She did check on Arielle at night and watched over her for an hour or so watching her daughter sleep. Arielle slept most of the day according to the maids who brought her food and change of clothes. She hadn't mustered up the courage to face her daughter and have a discussion with her.

She felt like a horrible mother and somewhat responsible for Arielle's action. Had she really provoked so much fear into her daughter? Anastasia wondered if that were true. Arielle's life growing up in Pannonia was very posh and lush compared to her life here long ago at that age. She understood how Arielle must have felt.

Afraid and uncertain of what to do. Ana knew all of those feelings when she was pregnant as a teenager. She was horrified and had no idea how much her son was going to change her life. She was also petrified of her mother's reaction and feared that she'd be tossed aside. But much to her surprise, she was welcomed into her mother's arms after her mother's initial shock faded. Attila was not as distressed as her mother was. She had tons of help from her mother, Kreka and Gabrielle.

Arielle had several women here to help her but instead thought the child she carried was such a burden to her. Anastasia began to think that she put far too much responsibility on her young daughter and expected too much of her at sixteen. Grooming her to be queen was such a task, a very long task and goal that was not met within the time that was anticipated. Nobody should be queen at sixteen.

She lay on her bed, contemplating her thoughts and life choices. A knock came to her doors and she was too much in a daze to respond. The sound of chains hitting against hard leather and muffled whispers gave it away that it was her mother and Gabrielle who entered the room.

Gabrielle approached the bed and spoke to the queen's backside. "Um, Anastasia, your mother has a proposition for you."

"What is it?" her voice remained quiet and defeated in response.

She stared at her wife worriedly but continued. "She wants to raid Constantinople and possibly build a campaign in Sicilia and Thermopylae."

"Go ahead," she waved her hand over her head lazily.

Xena grinned and Gabrielle, truth be told, was hoping that Ana would have declined the request. "Ernak and Dengi returned from Persia. I got the report from them. Would you like to hear it?"

The queen sighed softly. "Not right now."

"Alright, I guess I will…write the report and prepare the recruits," said the governor and grimaced at her smitten and smug face of her wife. She trailed out of the room and Xena was to follow.

"Mother," Ana said, hearing the chains on her boots become further and further away.

Xena turned and gestured to the blonde governor to leave and that she'd catch up later. She closed the door and walked over to the bed and cocked her head to the side. Her daughter's long hair draped over the side of the bed and grazed the floor. She picked up her long hair and coiled it on the bed.

Anastasia felt a weight on the bed and she shifted slightly. "Do you think I'm a bad mother?"

Xena scrunched her face and wasn't sure whether to laugh or hold her wily response inside. "Why do you ask that? You are not a bad mother, Ana." She said and she could tell by the lack of response that her daughter seemed unconvinced. "Everyone thinks they're a bad mother every once in awhile. You always wonder if what you're doing for your children is good enough. I still think like that."

Ana turned over and frowned. "What? You do? Mother I am not a child anymore."

"No, you're definitely not but you're still my daughter. Everything that I've taught you is reflected in your own children. I always wonder if I ever gave you enough. It's a normal thought but just to settle your worries –you're  _not_  a bad mother. Boareks was a bad mother." She smiled and the queen quirked her mouth and flipped back over onto her side.

She picked at the threads coming out of the worn sheets to calm her anxious mind. "I think I am too hard on Arielle."

" _Arielle_ ," the commander scoffed. "That child has been giving you problems since before she was born. She's a tough girl to discipline, Ana. Don't be too hard on yourself." She tried to give her best encouraging advice but it didn't seem to work and she peered over her daughter's hip and saw a tear stream down her cheek.

"Anastasia…" she draped her hand over the queen's hip. "Something happened. You can tell me."

Ana wiped her cheek with her palm and inhaled deeply. "My daughter is afraid of me."

Xena chuckled and the queen whipped her head around with a scowl upon her face. "You can be scary sometimes," she said and Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm just teasing! Come on, Ana, you can't say that you weren't scared of me at her age."

"I told her she could tell me anything and she was too afraid to tell me something!" she yelled and Xena leaned back. She sighed and sat up; pulling her hair out of the way and her shoulders slouched. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm just upset with myself."

"Apparently," muttered the commander. "You can talk to me. I'm always here for you."

Ana folded her arms and shook her head. "No thank you."

Xena raised her eyebrow. "Who's afraid of their mother now?"

She half smiled. "If I tell you, promise you won't say anything to Arielle. I don't want her to think that I've told the whole world, especially you. She looks up to you a lot," she says and her mother urged her to go on. "I don't want you to think any less of her."

"Ana, just tell me what it is."

"Well," she says unsure of herself, "she was pregnant." She paused and saw her mother's eyes grow twice their size. "But she got rid of the child with a mixture of henbane and mandrake root. She told me that she was afraid of what I'd say to her."

Xena tapped her fingers on her knee in silence and looked around the room for a few moments. "Did you…talk to her?" she was a loss for words.

"Yes, sort of. I haven't spoken to her in three days. I don't know what to say! I feel responsible for this. I don't know why she did this, mother. I could have helped her. Everyone would've helped her."

She stopped her daughter with a raise of a hand. "Have you ever thought that she got rid of the child because she didn't want it and it had nothing to do with you?"

Ana's face drained of color.

"She's not a mature teenager, Anastasia, not like you were. Her mind is obviously not ready to raise a child and she knew that. If she was afraid of you, that could be another reason for why she did it but it's not your fault. If I were you, I'd find out who she was sleeping with and put a stop to that."

She got up and walked towards the doors. Anastasia flung herself out of bed and grabbed her shoulder. "You won't tell her I told you, right?"

"No, I won't. But don't blame yourself for her actions. She is going to do what she wants with or without your permission. You can't discipline all of your children the same way. Arielle is not Csaba or Cera."

* * *

The following week was very busy for everyone inside the camp. Xena was busy gathering the troops that she wanted to take to Constantinople and was constantly reminded by her wife of her injury. She wasn't sure if she got headaches from her wound or because of her wife's chatter. Either way, she pushed through and organized two legions to come with her.

Farah arrived with her three sons and in a foul mood. She did not want to stay in Pannonia because the Adame was overcrowded with the royal family and although she'd have a suite to herself and her children, she preferred a room to herself. Her life in Banat had spoiled her even more than she was before when she used to live in Pannonia. Edemen was very anxious to come and was excited to see his other family and play with Kurt and Ebnedzar's sons.

Even though Banat was only a day's ride away, Farah brought her chambermaids with her to help with her infant sons. She was not confident in herself to look after them both and she did not wish to bother Anastasia for constant help during her visit.

The home continued to fill with people when Safiya rode in with Soran from Balaam. Navaz also suggested that Yeter and Issik come along because he didn't want anything to happen to them while Hormizd was still on high alert. There were some concerns when Yeter arrived because she and Farah did not always get along and of course neither did her and Arielle. But everyone had lived under one roof before and it could be done again.

Ellac returned with Dengi a day before Farah arrived. He was reluctant to be around Anastasia but when she saw how saddened she was by his sudden departure, the two quickly forgave one another. He expressed extreme dislike for Xena's little plan to ride into Constantinople. After what happened between his mother in law and wife, he didn't share words with Xena for weeks and now he'd have to.

His senses were overwhelmed with the children and women swarming the Adame and he took to the field where Xena and Gabrielle were. He made his way through the troops and they parted an aisle for him to pass.

"Xena, a word," he demanded.

She waved her hand at the recruits to continue to pack the horses and caravans. "Yes?" she asked with a sly grin. "Had to get away from the hen house, huh?"

He groaned. "You're going to Constantinople. Why is that?"

"I'm going to rape and pillage," she said with glee and he was not amused. "Minus the rape. Just pillage is fine with me."

"But you didn't clear this with me."

She scoffed. "You were off in Dalmatia hiding from your wife. Besides, I got Ana's permission. I don't take orders from absent kings." She turned and yelled at a recruit, "don't drop another weapon, Badr!" she watched him scramble and throw the wrack of weapons into the caravan. "Fool." She rolled her eyes.

"Gabrielle is going with you?" he frowned and saw the governor pulling a horde of horses to the gates.

"Of course she is. I'm not going to be in the combat zone. I am forbidden," she held up two fingers to keep her promise to her wife and daughter.

Ellac rubbed his forehead. "I want Pirro and Ditron to go with you to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"What?!" she screamed. "No. I don't want my brothers to come with me. I am in no need of a babysitter. That's why Gabrielle is coming."

"Those are my orders, Xena. They're going and you have no say." He tipped his head and left to the Adame but then quickly detoured when he was reminded of all the women and children inside. He didn't wish to cause himself more headache than needed.

Gabrielle ran over after she gathered the horde of horses for when they would leave within the week. Her wife was not in a good mood anymore and she wondered what had changed in the small amount of time she was gone.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Ellac said we have to bring my brothers with us to Constantinople."

She grinned. "I love your brothers. They're so funny."

"I'm so glad you think this is amusing. You find them and tell them they're coming with us. I don't have the time nor do I want to see the look on their faces." She spun around at the sound of metal crashing on the ground. "Badr, what did I say! You got butter fingers today or are you just so incompetent that you can't do a simple task such as loading a wagon!"

He stepped back and put up his hands. "Apologies, commander. I won't drop any more weapons!"

"Forget it," she hissed. "Go feed the horses if you can  _handle_  it." As soon as he ran off she took off her kozak and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Honestly I don't know why he is in Ellac's guard."

"He's a good fighter and he listens to commands well," the blonde reminds her. "Do you want to take a break? Go say hello to everyone maybe?"

Xena looked back at the Adame and cringed at the thought. "A house full of hormonal women or a field full of brutes. It's a real toss up, Gabrielle." She remarked with a snarky grin. "I'll give my greetings later," she only said this to satiate her wife and her underlying demands hidden in her tone.

* * *

Arielle came downstairs when she was told that her extended family arrived this week. She was confined to her room for more than a week and although she shared a few words with her mother, she felt like she was being ignored by her. The most conversation she got during her recovery was from the maids and servants not her mother.

She saw Cera with Soran and the two were discussing paintings. Her brother was very into painting as was her sister. The two got along so well they might as well be blood siblings. They were only a few months apart and whenever they were together, it was hard to break them up. She turned toward Farah who sat on the floor in the women's quarters, tending to one of her sons. Arielle didn't get a chance to see her twin nephews due to her early departure from Banat three months ago.

Edemen already made himself at home. He and the other boys, Talat, Tolan and Kurt, were already planning something to do to fill their time. Edemen was the youngest of the boys but he didn't seem the least bit bothered by it and luckily Ebnedzar's sons were kind to him and treated him the same as they did Kurt.

Issik, the youngest of all the boys, seemed to be the only one left out of the group. She stared at the boy who gawked at the group, wanting to join but perhaps he was shy. She didn't understand why Issik had to be such a brat sometimes. He and Ede did not get along at all despite their closeness in age. Must have Yeter's attitude, she thought.

Speaking of Yeter, Arielle averted her eyes to the Gokturk woman and eavesdropped on her conversation with Farah. The two hardly spoke to each other but when they did, it was brief and civil, especially in front of the children. Yeter told Farah that she was expecting a second child. Arielle frowned and dipped her head, listening to the two queens.

A wave of sadness came over her and she ran her hand over her flat abdomen unconsciously. She jumped a hand clamped to her shoulder. Xena smiled warmly at her and she relaxed a little bit.

"Are you feeling better?" she asks.

Arielle's cheeks redden. "W-what?"

"Your mother said you were sick. Are you feeling better?" Xena asked again, probing her granddaughter's eyes to find out what was going on in the princess' mind.

"Oh," she gave a weak smile, "yes, I'm feeling a lot better now."

Farah stopped mid-conversation with Yeter to recognize Xena and Arielle standing beside her. She stood up and grabbed Aman into her arms and greeted them both. "Arielle, I heard what happened to you in Banat," she said remorsefully, "I'm so sorry. Csaba took care of them for you."

The princess awkwardly nodded.

"You left before you could meet your nephews! This is Aman. Do you want to hold him?" she stepped forward and Arielle took a step backward, gawking at the squirming baby. "I promise he's less fussy than his brother." She tried to push her son into the teenager's arms.

Arielle shook her head and ran out of the room. Farah cocked her head and Xena raised her eyebrow and looked over at Anastasia who saw the quick departure. Ana caught her gaze and left Safiya's side and chased her daughter.

"Did I say something to upset her?" asked Farah.

"It's nothing you said, Farah," she reassured her. Looking around the room at everyone talking she felt a tug on her pants and leaned over to see prince Edemen.

"Where's Gabby?" he asked.

She smiled and knelt down on one knee. "She's in the yurt right now packing for a trip."

He gasped. "A trip? But I just got here!"

"I know," she pinched his cheek. "We'll spend a lot of time together before I leave. I promise."

"Okay!" he cheered. "Can you teach me how to use the weapon you gave me?"

She wrapped a hand around him and covered his mouth with the other hand. Farah furrowed her eyebrows and it was clear she heard everything. "He doesn't know what he's talking about." She scooped him up in her arms and began backing away slowly then made a hasty exit.

"Hey, I wanna play with my cousins!" he whined.

"You just got me in trouble," she whispered and poked his chest. "I thought we discussed this. You aren't supposed to tell your mother about the  _gift_  I gave you."

"But I didn't!" he lamented and she glared at him. The little prince just realized what happened and he puckered his lips. "Ohhhh…" he shrugged his shoulders and giggled. "Sorry."

* * *

Anastasia ran after her daughter, charging up the stairs. "Arielle, please! I just want to talk to you!" she yelled and the princess ran down the hallway upstairs and into her room. She grumbled and tried to catch up to her and grabbed the door before it was shut in her face.

Arielle ran to her bed and slammed her face in the pillows, sobbing softly. Ana closed the door quietly and took in a deep breath, preparing herself for this conversation. She wasn't sure how it was going to go considering her daughter darted out of the women's quarters the way she did. The others did take notice of it, especially Farah.

She took a seat on the bed and ran a hand down her daughter's back. "Are you going to tell me why you ran out like that?"

The princess shook her head and rubbed her nose on her sleeve.

"I said you tell me anything and I meant that. You don't have to keep secrets from me. I'll listen to you," she kept going on and on. Arielle was staring at the wall with her knees curled to her chest. She sighed, "You were upset being around Farah's sons, weren't you?"

Arielle cuddled the pillow and remained quiet.

"It's okay to be upset, Arielle. I'm sorry that you were so afraid of me that you couldn't come to me. I don't want you to be afraid to tell me anything. I'll love you no matter what."

"I feel…bad," she muttered.

This was a department that Anastasia had no experience in. She thought that maybe someone else would be better at this but whom? Perhaps Ursula? She dealt with several women in Arielle's situation. No, she was supposed to be here for her daughter.

"It wasn't meant to be, Arielle. Did you ever tell the father?" she hinted.

This ruined Arielle's mood even more. "No."

"Will you tell me who it is? I can help."

Arielle sat up, glaring at her mother. "No, I'm never going to tell you."

"But Arielle –"

"No!" she yelled. "Get out of my room!"

"Arielle!"

"Get out!" she yelled and Ana frowned sadly and got off the bed and leaned her head on the door for a couple of seconds then rushed out.

* * *

Edemen spent the afternoon, days before Ernak's wedding, with Gabrielle and Xena. He was teaching them how to play a card game that was very popular in his homeland. He tried to explain the rules to them as best as he could but continuously told them the moves they played were incorrect. He was getting frustrated by the third round.

Xena dealt the cards much to the boy's objections. "After this wedding, we go to Constantinople. My brothers are bringing the extra horses, right?"

Gabrielle nodded and was mindful of Edemen. "Yes, they are. Can we talk about this later?"

"Are you guys going to the Byz…" Edemen huffed. "How do you say it?"

"Byzantine," Xena corrected him. "And yes we are going to the Byzantine Empire."

He grabbed his stack of cards and spread them across the rug. "What are you two gonna do there?"

"Um," she nervously glanced at her wife who gave her an 'I told you so' look. "We're going to take over the area hopefully. We can have more land. I'm sure your father will be happy about that. Constantinople isn't far from Banat."

He gasped. "Really? Is it pretty there?"

"Sure," she grabbed her cards and Gabrielle held hers in hand with a frown, not liking this conversation at all. "Hey let's talk about something else. How is life at home? Do you like helping your mother with your brothers?"

"Yeah! They're so cute," he says with joy. "They cry a lot sometimes but other than that, I like them. When they get older I will teach them how to use a bow."

Gabrielle inhaled deeply and slammed her cards on the floor. "Xena!"

He looked over at her exposed cards. "Gabby that is not how you play."

"He's five years old and he's already talking about weapons. You shouldn't have given him that dagger."

"Hey, I'm almost six!" he interjected.

"It's just one dagger, Gabrielle," the commander tried to defend herself. "It's no big deal."

She continued to argue with her wife, "no big deal? Would you listen to him!"

"Excuse me…" Edemen held his finger in the air in between the two bickering women.

"A dagger isn't going to do anything. Arielle got a bow for her third birthday."

"So? What's your point?"

He groaned loudly and slammed the cards down and yelled, " _Fir-ar sa fie_!"

The two stopped bickering and fell silent at the boy's outburst. Neither of them was familiar with the phrase but it couldn't have been good coming from his mouth. Xena scratched her head and Gabrielle sheepishly hid her embarrassment.

"Sorry, Ede. We got carried away," Gabrielle apologized. "We can still play."

"Forget it!" he struggled to get off the floor and glared at them. "I'm going to the Adame! Don't come looking for me!" he waved his hands and left the yurt.

Xena couldn't hold it anymore and stifled a laugh at the boy. "He's a spitfire."

"You started this, Xena. You had to keep going. You just can't stand to lose an argument." She stood and walked over into their bedroom.

The brunette's jaw dropped. "Who said it was an argument?" she called out.

"Oh my god!" Gabrielle's voice echoed from behind the curtains.

"So, we're not going to finish playing? I think I got the rules down although I'm not sure what this card does…" she examined the card with the black masked jester on it. "Gabrielle?" she turned around to an empty room. "I take that as a no."


	46. Chapter 46

**For the next few chapters I will be including locations because I'll be flipping back and forth between places. More drama ensues, more blood lol. Enjoy.**

Chapter 46 – _Destiny_

It was not long after Ernak's and Nisa's wedding ceremony that Xena left with her wife and brothers to raid Constantinople. Xena knew that they were going to be gone for a very long time, months or possibly a year. If the raid went well she would move the army to Thermopylae and hopefully Syracuse. The possibility of running into Justinian was a million to one. If his holy city was in shambles like Csaba said then the emperor was sure to be in hiding with Theodora.

The wedding was very short and intimate just like Ernak wanted. He became preoccupied with his new wife for three days and now it was a week after the wedding and he was forced to focus on battle and meetings with his brothers. He hated these conferences and didn't have much say in them. He used to love war and the blood stained fields but now he wanted to focus on his new family. Nisa had been in his life for five years and his son, Kurt, loved her and grew up around her. Kurt had been comfortable calling Nisa his mother since he could talk. Ernak only wished that his son could remember what Bakkah looked like.

For now, he'd been stuck in a room with his brothers, eager to leave. Ellac and Dengizich were arguing back and forth while he sat on the side with Ebnedzar, watching their brothers fight like children. Anastasia was not present during the meeting and was more intrigued with Farah's intellect. They were going over more prints for ships and other possible machines that Ana might need in the future. Farah's smarts were a gift and the only thing she was good at, considering how spoiled she can be sometimes.

Ellac poked his little brother in the chest with a hard stab of his finger. "I told you, we aren't going to Goth territory. I don't care if the Ostrogoths want to be our allies."

"Xena has already taken the initiative to raid Justinian's empire. We should join forces with the Ostrogoths now and fight off the Visigoths. This is our chance to be rid of the Visigoths. They've been a burden to us since before we were born! Father would want this," Dengi combated his brother.

"The Goths are the least of our concerns."

Dengi laughed. "Really? Then what is our concern? Persia? Byzantium? Xena and her crew got Justinian's territory covered. We need to get King Alaric on our side. This could end Odoacer's reign as emperor."

Ellac growled. "Dengizich! No!"

The other two brothers were getting sick just listening to the two bicker back and forth. Ernak stood and interrupted. "Enough you two!" he pushed his brothers backward. "I think we should vote on this because you two can't seem to come to an agreement."

He sighed and went on, "I think we should go to Goth territory and get rid of the Visigoths. I am in agreement with Dengi. What say you, Ebnedzar?"

The eldest of the four brothers looked around anxiously. Dengi had a hopeful look on his face while Ellac was shaking his head vigorously. Ernak seemed more neutral than ever. He waved his hand and wanted to leave the meeting. It had gone on long enough. He didn't care for Ellac's choice in letting the Goths attack each other.

"I agree with Dengi," he finally said. Ellac's voice roared at his three brothers' opposition.

Dengizich grinned with satisfaction. "So it's settled. Ellac and I will go Goth territory and help Alaric. We should really apply this voting system more often." He clapped his hand on Ernak's and Ellac's shoulders then waltzed out whistling loudly.

Ellac glared at his brothers that were left in the room. "Fuck both of you," he spat.

* * *

The children were occupied with each other and spent most of the time outside. Farah was thankful that Edemen had his cousins to play with so he wouldn't be such a bother to her. She was also glad she brought her chambermaids with her so she didn't have to be around her infant twins of all hours of the day but they were kept close to her at all times.

While she was going over prints with Anastasia, she glanced up at Yeter who walked into the room. The Gokturk woman appeared to be not in the best of moods and she slammed the spoon on the table and the tea glasses clanged as she tried to make herself a cup of tea.

Farah frowned and set down the ink quill. "Do you mind?" she asked Yeter. "My sons are trying to sleep." She gestured to the basinets in the corner of the room.

Yeter smirked and briefly looked at the sleeping twins and stirred sugar into the hot tea. "Yet you have them in the busiest of rooms," she said with a snarky tone.

Anastasia prompted Farah to ignore the moody Gokturk queen and focus on the prints. Moments later, Arielle came into the room and shared a brief glance with her mother then hurried over to the table. She reached over Yeter's arm and grabbed an empty glass. The queen lifted her eyebrow and stared at the silent princess.

"Busy with your studies?" asked Yeter.

She poured the hot tea from the kettle and tried to keep her gaze to a minimum. "No, I've decided to put off my studies for awhile."

"A shame," Yeter said and sipped the hot tea.

Arielle ignored the woman's harsh attitude and turned her head, staring at her. Yeter had her eyes on the window as she casually drank the tea. Her eyes drifted to the queen's flat stomach and inhaled deeply. She thought she'd feel better after she got rid of the child inside her but it was all she could think about. She couldn't tell anyone and only her mother and Cera knew what happened. Keeping secrets was becoming harder and harder as time went by.

"So, you're pregnant," she blurted out.

Yeter furrows her brows together and gawks at the princess with caution. She heard the princess was not very sympathetic when it came to expectant mothers. She constantly made fun of Farah throughout both pregnancies.

"Yes…"

Arielle nodded and stirred a couple cubes of sugar in the tea. "What was it like?" she asked and that prompted a strange look from the queen. She laughed away her nervousness. "I mean, when you told Oran. Was he happy about it?"

She could not figure out why the teenager was so curious about her personal life with Oran. "Welcoming children into the world is the highlight of our life together. We don't share a lot in common," she put it plainly.

It wasn't far from the truth. If she didn't know better, her husband probably was sleeping with a woman on the side because their marriage was nothing but a contract to halt war and seal alliances. She wouldn't care what Oran did on his own time as long as he was content.

Arielle thought she knew Bayan very well since they'd been friends for awhile but she didn't know how he'd react if she told him what she did. He was very mild tempered compared to some of the men in her family. Csaba came to mind. He was sweet to the women in his life but he could raise hell if he wanted to. He was ready to rip Bayan to shreds when they were children. Bayan wasn't like that.

"Do you feel any different from the last time?" she proceeds to pry in Yeter's life.

The queen half smiled and folded her arms, holding the glass close to her chest. "Why are you so curious about me suddenly? You shouldn't concern yourself with me, Arielle. A girl your age shouldn't be troubled with children. Focus on your studies." She said and walked off.

Arielle sighed and no longer had a thirst for tea. Frankly, she didn't want tea in the first place. She just wanted to talk to someone and she had been avoiding her mother for over a week now. Yeter probably wasn't the best person to talk to. The desire to blurt out her secrets was rising to the surface and if she didn't tell somebody she felt like she might explode at any second.

Anastasia stopped Farah mid-sentence and acknowledged her daughter who was heading out. "Arielle, how are you feeling?"

"Why do you ask me that every single day?" replied Arielle. "I'm fine."

* * *

_Constantinople –Day One_

The Hun army arrived within the perimeters of the holy city and the sight of the city was horrific. Corpses were laid in the middle of the streets and the Hagia Sophia was inhabited by the citizens. Of course Justinian and his wife were nowhere to be found which was expected. Carts had fresh embers in the town square and children were huddled together in small groups away from their parents.

Xena stared at the destruction that Mother Nature had caused in the city and almost felt bad for everyone. Key word: almost. She was set on destroying the soldiers and armory but had no intention of wreaking havoc on the civilians of the Byzantine city. She turned to her wife who was appalled at the city or what was left of it. Her brothers were equally disgusted and their eyes widen with fear and sadness at the sight.

"Gabrielle, you're on crowd control," she ordered.

The governor frowned at her commanding wife. "Crowd control? Seriously?"

"I don't want the citizens to be affected by what we're about to do here. I don't want a single house belonging to a soldier to stand by the time we're done here. You're in charge of relocating the civilians to a safe place."

"And what exactly is considered safe? Look at this place, Xena!" she spread her arms out in the open, surveying the mass destruction lain in Constantinople.

The commander groaned and tightened her grip around the reins. "Just get the children out of here then. There are too many dead bodies everywhere. They shouldn't be subject to this raid."

Gabrielle shook her head and whistled at a small group of her wife's guard and trotted downward towards the inner workings of the city. She wasn't sure if the children were going to listen to her or fear her. She'd have to do the best she could before the entire Hun army was to rampage the city.

Ditron and Pirro were sent by Ellac to aid their older sister in the raid but they had never been on a raid with her before. They were somewhat fearful of what she was about to do. They sensed it during the entire journey when Gabrielle kept asking questions and Xena was reluctant to answer them. Gabrielle had never been on a raid either but to have crowd control was not part of regular protocol. Xena must have a heart to care for children but that was all the cares she had in the world at the moment. Her mind was focused on destroying the city until it was a complete pile of rubble.

The Byzantines had no idea that Huns lurked in the shadows on the hill. Xena snapped her fingers and pointed to the right where the palace was situated. Half the army marched and rode on horseback to the area. She whipped her head around and pointed to the left, signaling to the Hagia Sophia. Now that the army was divided accordingly, there was one command left.

Xena's eyes focused on Gabrielle going into the square and luckily she was not of Hun origin and the children might be more receptive to her. She didn't want to storm in until Gabrielle was able to round up at least a large group of children in her custody.

Pirro glanced at his sister, waiting in silence. "When do we go down into the city and attack?"

"When I say."

Gabrielle hopped off her horse and approached three children huddled underneath a burnt canopy. The smell of death was overwhelming. Disease was sure to spread here and further. Csaba's quarantined citizens were to be held far from the inner city inside Banat. She put hand over her mouth to prevent herself from gagging at the stench.

She knelt down in front of the children; two boys and a girl. The girl was the eldest and probably their sister. She took in a deep breath and ignored the awful smell. "Hey, you don't have to be afraid. I'm here to help you."

The three looked at the Hun soldiers standing behind Gabrielle and the girl frowned. She wrapped a protective arm around her two little brothers and brought them closer. "You are not from here," she said.

Gabrielle kept a nervous grin. "No I'm not but it's not safe here. Where are your parents?"

One of the boys spoke softly, "the flood killed them."

She sighed and glanced over her shoulder then heard footsteps. She turned and saw the children trying to escape. "No!" she grabbed one of the boy's arms and he screamed loudly, alarming others in the square. Now she had eyes upon her.

"I –I'm trying to save you. Please, don't scream!"

He wailed and one of the Hun soldiers grabbed the boys underneath his arms and Gabrielle tried to grab the sister but she took off. "Dammit!" she yelped.

Shopkeepers whispered and then someone yelled that Huns were invading and trying to steal their children.

Gabrielle gasped and desperately looked to Xena for what to do next but her wife's stoic face was no help at all. The screaming boys were about to be knocked out if they kept going on and on, she thought. The soldier held the boys underneath his thick arms and hoisted them on the horse, strapping their legs together so they wouldn't run away.

"Governor, should we run after the girl?"

"No, let her go. She's too fast anyway. Get those boys out of here. Try to get as many kids as you can without the citizens trying to attack you." she ordered and mounted horse. She tried to get away and go up the hill but she was bombarded by people blocking her way.

Ditron groaned and waited by his sister and brother. "Xena, she's going to get murdered down there! Do something!"

"We attack when I say!" she hissed.

"Why do we have to follow what you say anyway? We're the ones who are supposed to be watching you."

She wrapped her hand around her brother's throat. "You listen to me because I am the commander and I don't need to be watched!" she pushed him to the side causing him nearly to fall off the horse.

"Xena! Help! Please!" called out Gabrielle who was trying to handle pushing back the crowd by herself.

That was the moment that cover was blown. Everyone in the square turned to the hill where Xena sat on horse with her brothers. They were now even more horrified than before when they saw Huns invading and taking children. This was turning out to be a disaster.

Pirro leaned in towards his sister, "do we attack now?"

"We are not here to attack civilians!" she grumbled and rode downhill to help Gabrielle from the rushing crowds.

Without a moment later, the civilians scattered but not because of Xena, but because of Justinian's men rushing into the square. It looked like the people were more afraid of Justinian's soldiers than the Huns who were not posing a threat to them at all. Gabrielle pulled her horse aside and looked at the hungry look in her wife's eyes. She longed to be in the thick of the fight.

"Xena, we need to go!" she tugged on her arm but her wife was resilient. "You promised!"

Xena grimaced and turned round to head back up the hill. She was not one to break a promise especially to two people she cared about most in her life. She signaled her anxious brothers to divide with the separated army and attack the soldiers below.

It wasn't long until the fighting broke out and Xena had to sit and watch it all. Her eyes were focused on her brothers who were eager to be in the battlefield. It was hard for her to watch them fight with such passion. It brought back memories when Lyceus offered to help in the fight against the Goths. He didn't make it beyond the first fleet and she blamed herself as did Xander. She forgave herself long ago over what happened with her brothers but now her youngest brothers were doing the same as Lyceus and Xander: trying to protect her.

Gabrielle tended to the crying little boys and didn't want to tie them up but she feared that they'd run away. More Huns brought back children to the hill. Most of them were no older than ten. They were scared, afraid of the unknown. They heard things about Huns told by their parents and neighbors. The tribal nomads were still known as barbarians.

There was one thing Gabrielle knew about Romans and they were the barbarians. They slaughtered their own people to get ahead of everyone else. She'd seen it firsthand when she lived with Odoacer and when she used to be a citizen of Greece. Now her homeland had been conquered by Justinian and they feared him.

One of the boys shouted and pointed to the square. "My sister!" he cried out.

She turned and saw the girl who ran from her. In the middle of the bloody battle between Romans and Huns, the girl stood motionless and tried to hide underneath a doorstep of a home. "Xena!" she yelled loudly, knocking her wife out of concentration.

Xena saw the girl. There was nowhere to hide and if she stayed long enough a sword was sure to be driven through her. Aside from her promise, she kicked the steed and charged down the hill. She drew her sword and stabbed a few Romans on her way down and kicked them with her horse's legs to create a path.

She halted in front of the fear stricken girl. She held out her hand. "You're coming with me."

The girl was still frozen and her big brown eyes gaped at the commander. Tears streamed down her cheeks and the calls of her brothers from above were the only thing that brought her back to reality. Xena grabbed her before she could make another great escape and threw her on the horse.

The boys' tears faded and smiles appeared on their faces when Xena arrived safely with their sister. The girl jumped off the horse as it was slowing to a trot and ran to her brothers. Gabrielle grinned and stepped away, allowing the three to rejoice. She was glad that none got hurt, especially the girl.

Gabrielle walked over to the commander. "What are we going to do with all of these children?" she glanced around and there must have been twenty of them and the soldiers kept bringing back more.

"We'll take them to Banat before we move to Thermopylae."

The governor's jaw dropped and she tried to block out the battle below. The cries from the Romans were more than satisfying she hated to admit. Yet, Justinian was still not present. He was a coward just like Odoacer. Or maybe he was smarter than every other emperor who reigned in Constantinople.

"How long will this last, do you think?"

"Until every single soldier in Constantinople is dead," said Xena. Her heart raced and she looked over her shoulder at the battle which was going well in her favor. Justinian's men did not have Boareks' canons to use and they didn't have her archers either. This was their destiny; to die.

* * *

_Goth Plains –Day Seven_

Arriving in Goth territory took almost a month due to some complications along the way such as Ellac and his brother fighting the entire way. Their bickering ceased when they waltzed into war immediately. They fought alongside the Ostrogoth king, Alaric, and his army for seven days. Each side was doing its best to drive each other into the ground.

The Visigoths were now without a king and they refused to bow down to Alaric so war was bound to ensue. Ellac never thought he'd be friends with Goths given their long history together. Ellac was in the field longer than he could remember. He couldn't recall the last time his body ached this much in battle. It had been quite awhile since he was able to take out all his rage in the field.

Alaric was very helpful and offered his men to aid the Huns in an instance. A new group called the Gepids split off from the Visigoths and now warred with not only the Huns, Ostrogoths but the Visigoths as well. They were trying to create a new tribe for themselves much like what other Hunnic tribes tried to accomplish in the past. The Kidarites came to mind.

Ellac stabbed a Visigoth through the chest and looked up at the bloody plains filled with corpses. They were more yet to come. There were three Goth tribes fighting with each other and it was hard to tell each apart.

He spotted Dengizich fighting off a Goth. Dengi had a horrible wound to the leg from a Gepid three days ago but he still fought on. Ellac saw another Goth coming from behind his brother and yelled at him to turn around. He tripped over a Goth corpse in attempt to save his little brother.

Dengi heard his brother's cry too late and he turned around at the right time for a Goth sword to penetrate his chest. He did what any warrior would do and kept fighting back. The Goth he was fighting with earlier drove a blade into his spine and Dengi's mouth gaped.

Ellac's eyes widened at the blood pouring out of his brother. He charged at the Goths and tackled one of them onto the ground and stabbed his brother's attacker several times in the chest, stomach and heart. Blood spattered on his face and he turned to the Goth who stabbed his brother in the back.

A coward is one to attack from behind. He leapt forward and without thinking his sword drove through the Goth and he rammed him into a tree and forced the blade into the bark. He twisted it several times and the Goth soldier cried in agony.

Stepping back, he rushed to his brother was now collapsed onto the ground, lying on his side. He rolled Dengi over and put a hand on the chest wound. He felt his brother's heart beat slow gradually. "Dengizich…I'm sorry. I tried to warn you."

Dengi smiled crookedly. "You…should focus on battle, brother."

"I'm not going to leave you here."

"It's already too late for me. Help Alaric."

Ellac shed a tear and he grabbed his brother from beneath the arms and dragged him across the field. "I said I'm not…leaving you!" he grunted, struggling to hold his brother. His body ached but he ignored it and looked behind at their camp. "Just a little bit longer."

"Ernak was right," Dengi laughed lightly and put a hand over his bleeding chest. It wasn't a deep wound but it was deep enough.

"What?" Ellac laid his brother onto the grass and knelt on one knee, staring into his brown serene eyes.

"You fight with emotions. He is a better king than you," he jested.

"This is no time for jokes!" he barked. He tried to get his brother up and Dengi slapped his hand away. "Dengizich, please!"

"No." He inhaled deeply. "When…when you take my body back to Pannonia I'd like my remains to be buried next to Leila and Giselle."

Ellac shook his head, refusing to believe his brother was dying but he wasn't one to deny his brother his wishes. "Alright, I can do that for you." He tried to hold back his tears.

Dengi nodded. "And don't let my mother hide her emotions," he pointed to the sky. "She likes to do that," he says with a smile.

"Kreka has a mind of her own. I'm not one to order her around."

His brother exhaled deeply and it was obvious the pain was starting to settle. "Ellac, be good to your wife. Anastasia is a great woman and you take her…for granted." The sharp pains in his chest now made it hard for him to breathe.

Ellac blinked with wet lashes and smiled at his little brother. "I won't do that anymore."

"Good…good," Dengi nods slowly.

He took one last breath and his chest fell slowly. The king's eyes widened and he gawked at his brother's lifeless body. He ran a hand over his brother's dark hair and kissed his forehead. He grabbed him and hoisted Dengi over his shoulder and walked back to camp. Alaric looked his way and he briefly acknowledged him with a head nod.

The Ostrogoth king lowered his blade and the Huns around them watched the Hun king carry his brother to the tent up ahead far from the battlefield.

* * *

Arielle moped around the Adame for a month and she was getting sick of her mother asking how she was every day. She understood her mother's concerns but she wanted to be left alone and not talk about the subject anymore. Her mother was just trying to be nice and she thought that she should be thankful to have a mother like she did.

She was re-stringing her bow, trying to keep her mind off her family. She hadn't been around Soran much since he arrived and she avoided Farah like the plague. She loved her nephews and Edemen was incredibly smart for a child. He definitely had Farah's brains.

Bayan snuck into her room through the window and she turned at the sight of him. Her stomach churned and she felt like vomiting. She leapt from the bed and he grinned happily at her. They'd been apart for a couple of months now and he was very anxious to see her.

He tried to kiss her and she pulled away. "What's wrong?" he laughed and leaned in to her lips and she fell back onto the bed. "Arielle, what is it? I know I smell like a goat. I'll take a bath if you want." He teased and grabbed her hand to take her to the baths but she snatched her arm away. "Arielle?"

Tears swelled in her eyes and she crinkled her mouth. He took off his coat and knelt down in front of her. "You're crying. Don't do that," he grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb on her hand.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed and wagged her head.

"Sorry? You didn't do anything."

"Yes I did!" she cried out and licked his lips, unsure of her feelings. "I…got rid of…our baby," she said lowly and wiped her cheeks.

Bayan pursed his mouth and gave a squeeze to her hand. He didn't want to say the wrong thing and upset her further. "I wish you would've told me."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "You –you're not upset?"

"Not nearly as upset as you," he joked and gave a pearly white smile.

"You don't hate me?" she asked. "I don't blame you if you don't want to see me again. I feel really awful about what I did but Bayan you don't understand. I was so worried about my mother, my family, everything!"

"Hey, hey," he interrupted and grabbed her other hand. "I don't hate you. I came here to ask you if you'd marry me and move to Harran."

Arielle's mouth parted and suddenly her fears went away. His reaction was nothing like she expected. "Marry you?"

"Yeah!" he cheered. "And we'll have another baby. We'll have as many babies as you want." He chuckled and paddled her stomach. She finally smiled in the first time in over a month. "So, what do you say? Will you marry me? Please say something. I've been going over this in my head for a very long time."

She sighed deeply and let go of his hand and ruffled her curls. "But my mother…"

"Arielle you can't let your mother rule your life. She'll always be here but you're stuck doing nothing. You can be queen in Harran. They're dying to meet you."

"Really?"

"I talk about you a lot," he blushed. "I have a place of my own. We can get married and rule over our new tribe. Assyria is beautiful."

She thought about everything he said and he was right. Her mother and family would always be here for her. If she did leave, she couldn't tell anyone about it. "Okay." She nodded.

"Okay  _what_?"

"To everything. I'll marry you and move to Harran." She said and he kissed her hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the baby. I didn't know what to do."

Bayan smirked. "It wasn't the right time. So, how about in a week, I'll come back and we can leave."

"So soon?"

"Arielle, don't make me wait any longer than I have already. I love you."

Her cheeks turned bright red. "You do?"

"I wouldn't ask you to marry me if I didn't." he kissed her forehead. "Plus, I know how important being queen is to you. Now you can be queen of an entire tribe and make your own rules."

* * *

_Constantinople –Day 39_

Xena sent her men from the inner city and worked her way around the entirety of the city. Now they were raiding the city across the strait. It took a week to get across the strait but not without a small tiff with Justinian's men. Constantinople was already in ruins and now she massacred every single soldier in the inner city but the emperor had more men. They were everywhere and there was more blood to be had.

Gabrielle suffered from a mild injury during their trip across the strait. She sat in the tent while her wife used tweezers to pick out the bark embedded in her skin. The children they took from the city were taken to Banat by a group of five soldiers. Anastasia would receive word from Csaba about the children soon.

Xena finally finished pulling all of the splinters out of her wife's leg and wiped her leg with a wet cloth. "Good as new."

"Thanks," she picked at her red bumpy skin and curled her leg beneath the other. "How are you doing? I noticed you've been limping for a few days but I didn't want to mention it."

"Just a few old injuries bothering me," Xena put it off and pinched her wife's arm teasingly. "This is our last stop before we go to Thermopylae. Are you ready for it?"

The governor softened. Despite all of the death surrounding them, she enjoyed spending a lot of time with her warrior wife. "Anything you want to do, I'll be here with you. You've taught me so much and I hope you continue to teach me more."

Xena chuckled. "What have I taught you? You're supposed to be the teacher."

"I haven't been a teacher in a long time."

"That's not true. You helped with Arielle, Csaba and Anastasia. You've always had that teaching quality about you and trust me; you're a much better teacher than I will ever be." She leaned over and kissed her wife on the lips gingerly.

"Hey maybe I could start a school in Pannonia. We have so many children from different parts of the world now." She suggested and scooted close to the commander and picked at the scabs on her knee.

Xena raised her brow and slapped the blonde's hand from her knee. "That's something to look forward to. We won't be going back home for a long time. Are you okay with that?"

"This is important for the future of our family," she admitted a bit sadly but it was the truth. "So when we conquer Thermopylae, when do we go to Rome?"

"Rome? You want to sac Odoacer as much as I do," she playfully jabbed her wife in the ribs.

Gabrielle laughed mocking her wife. "You don't know what he did to Ana, Dengi and Ernak. I was under his control for an entire year! I want to help bring his empire down. I deserve this. You deserve this. We will win!" she clenched her fists, writhing in the glory that would soon await them.

"I think you've been in the field too long."

"I just want to win," she mumbled.

"It's not always about winning, Gabrielle."

"That is not true. You just don't want me to enjoy war like you do."

Xena scoffed. "This isn't a competition."

Pirro ran into the tent. "Xena, there's a group of Byzantines heading our way. What do you want us to do?"

She reached for her sword and tapped her fingers on her knee. "I thought we were in the clear? We're miles from the strait."

He shrugged. "They must've taken a ship over here and followed us. You want us to set up the traps?"

"Yes, do that." She said and he left in a rush. She sighed heavily and turned to her wife who seemed super eager to get back in the field. "I'll race you to the strait."

Gabrielle folded her arms. "Nice try. You have a bad leg and I just had a handful of splinters in my shin!"

"You're already losing!" Xena got up and ran out of the tent to her horse.

She ran outside to catch up with her long legged wife and laughed along the way. She paused and slapped a hand on her wife's shoulder. "You run so fast, I can hardly keep up with you," she said. Xena remained quiet and focused on the road to the strait. Gabrielle's breathing slowed to a steady strain and she turned her head towards her wife's focus.

There were over a hundred Byzantine soldiers marching right towards them. Pirro and Ditron were busy planting bombs in the grass but quickly retreated so they wouldn't give their position away. Xena pulled out her sword slowly and Gabrielle gripped her wrist.

"You promised you wouldn't go in the field," she whispered.

"I'm just being prepared, Gabrielle. No harm in that, right?" she gave her a wink.

They both waited for the Romans to approach and Pirro knelt down on one knee, eyeing the bombs strategically planted in the grass. Closer. "Ten yards," he said with a malicious grin. "Five yards." Very close.

The first row of Romans ran right through the traps and the ground was set aflame. Bombs went off simultaneously and it was quite a show to watch. Smoke filled the field and the blue sky. Everyone laughed as the Romans were thrown into the air, some pieces of soldiers' more than intact ones.

Gabrielle pushed the smoke out of her face and walked upward to get away from the polluted air. She smiled and could see the entire field from where she was. Everything was falling into place. Justinian's men were dying off every single day. Xena had only lost a few men but not enough to make a dent. Children were rescued and sent to Csaba's kingdom. Ditron and Pirro developed a passion for strategizing and learned how to take orders from their sister.

This was easier than fighting Romans in the past; Zeno being one of them. The only reason the Huns were able to pillage the holy empire was due to the destructive floods, mudslides and famine that spread across Constantinople from the large earthquake. If that hadn't happened who knows what Justinian and Theodora would have done. The last meeting between the empress and Huns was not a fruitful one. In fact, Xena almost killed her and Arielle was almost killed as well by Romans.

There was much to be done. Thermopylae was under Justinian's control but Syracuse belonged to Odoacer. Gabrielle couldn't figure out why Xena wanted Thermopylae and Syracuse but not it all made sense while she sat and watched the bombs engulf the field.

She sometimes didn't give her wife enough credit and now realized she nagged her a lot of the time. Xena was very smart and she knew how to attack an enemy in the thick of battle. She was not a stealthy warrior but a warrior who faces the enemy head on.

Thermopylae and Syracuse were mere miles across the sea from one another. They were port cities but they were also cities close to North Africa where the Vandals ruled. You are smart, Xena, she thought.

What little soldiers were left standing were killed by Huns and thrown into the field with the rest of the corpses. The entire army cheered loudly from their deep throats. Pirro raised his fists in the air, whistling loudly and then wrapped his arm around his sister and planted a wet kiss on her cheek.

Xena snarled and pushed him away and wiped her cheek. "Don't you ever do that again!" she snapped and tried to get her brother's saliva off her face.

Gabrielle joined in and wrapped her arms around her wife's neck and kissed her opposite cheek. Ditron ran over and squeezed both of them in a bear hug with his strong arms. Gabrielle laughed and Xena growled with a frown on her lips.

"All of you stop it!" she screamed and her brother cackled then lay off her and Gabrielle walked around to face her irritated wife.

"Can we celebrate now? We conquered the countryside. What do you say?"

"Alright but not too much celebrating. We leave in a couple of days to Thermopylae."

The governor cheered and slapped her hands with Pirro and Ditron. Xena folded her arms and glared at the three of them. "What? We have to celebrate, Xena. We won!"

"We haven't won  _yet_ ," she warned. "But I guess a little wine won't hurt anyone."

* * *

Arielle packed her saddlebag and worked on writing a letter to her mother for the last couple of days. She made sure her horse was packed with her favorite bows and planned to sneak out late at night while everyone was asleep. She was nervous about leaving her home. She'd never been away from her family before but she was mostly concerned for her mother. She was going to be so upset and hurt but Arielle hoped her mother would understand in the long run.

She wanted to start a life for herself and there was no way she was able to do it here in Pannonia. Bayan was anxious to be with her and bring her to Harran. Her stomach was in knots for the last few days as she tried to remain calm and normal around her relatives. Her plan to marry Bayan was the best plan ever and she wanted to be queen so badly. It was going to be great to be queen of her own tribe and she could make her own rules like Bayan said.

She folded up the letter and put it underneath her pillow for later when she was to leave in a few hours. She ran into the baths to grab a few things like oil and soap for her journey to Assyria.

Cera knocked on the door and the door creaked open slowly. She walked in and looked around for her sister. Curiously she quietly tiptoed inside and cocked her head at the saddlebag on the bed. Arielle came back with handfuls of oils and soap.

"Cera! What are you doing in here?!" she hissed and ran to slam her door shut and lock it.

The redhead princess pointed at the bag and asked if she was leaving.

Arielle sighed and set the soaps aside. "Cera, can you keep a secret?"

Cera nodded.

"I'm leaving tonight and I'm going to marry Bayan." She said and Cera gasped and shook her head. "I don't want you to tell mother. I wrote her a letter. Please don't tell her Cera. I want this to be a secret."

The little sister buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Arielle's eyelids hooded over and wrapped her arms around her sister. "Don't cry. I will write you all the time so you know I'm okay, alright?" she pulled away and wiped Cera's cheeks. "I love you. I'm sorry for mistreating you for the last couple of years. You're the best sister. We can keep this a secret between us, right?"

Cera inhaled and exhaled deeply and slowly nodded then hugged her tightly, refusing to let go. After a few moments when her eyes dried she stared up at her sister and asked if she'd be coming back.

Arielle sighed. "I'll come back but not for awhile. This is just something I have to do."

* * *

The following day after Arielle had gone and Cera had to keep the secret to herself, Ellac returned from Goth territory but he was not alone. King Alaric came along and the Ostrogoth soldiers built Dengizich a casket to be burned on a funeral pyre in Pannonia.

Anastasia came outside to greet her husband and she froze when she saw the casket and Dengi was not by Ellac's side. Ernak joined her and brought his son, Kurt and new wife, Nisa with him. He too noticed the casket and he knew his brother was inside it. He wasn't sure whether to be proud of his brother or deeply upset.

He ran down the stairs and met with his elder brother and gawked at the Goth king on his horse and his eyes went to the casket. Ellac followed his eyes and he clasped his shoulder.

"Tell me that he fought well."

Ellac nodded. "Very. He wants to be next to Leila and Giselle."

Ernak grazed his hand on the casket and sighed deeply. He turned around and saw his mother standing at the top of the staircase. The horns alerting everyone that Ellac arrived excited everyone until they saw the casket. Ernak wasn't sure what his mother's reaction would be.

She came down the stairs slowly and Anastasia grabbed Cera's hand and pulled her aside. Kreka ignored everyone around her and her eyes focused on the casket, knowing Dengi's body was inside. She approached the casket and laid her hand on top. The queen mother was used to hiding her emotions. Even when Attila died she hid her feelings from the family. When Giselle passed she was strong for Leila and when Leila died she had to be strong for Dengizich. Now her son was gone and a once composed woman who thought to be strong willed broke down in tears and rest her head on her hand.

Kurt tugged on Nisa's dress. "What's wrong with grandma?" he whispered.

Nisa frowned sadly and ran her fingers against his full head of dark hair. "She's a little sad right now."

"Why is she sad?"

"Maybe we should go inside and you can play with Edemen."

Kurt looked over at the sobbing khatun bent over the casket. Anastasia grabbed the little prince's hand. "No, he needs to know. He's old enough," she advised and Nisa stepped aside. "Kurt, your grandmother is sad because your uncle is dead."

He gasped. "Dead?" he said aloud and the queen nodded.

"I'm sorry, Kurt."

He glanced over at his grandmother who was being comforted by his father. "He died in battle?"

"Yes."

"Then he was a brave warrior," he said, trying to take it lightly. Ana smiled and paddled his shoulder. "Should I go over to grandma?"

"I think she would like that very much." She stood up and looked at the boy as he ran towards Kreka. She was impressed that a boy his age was taking this so well. She couldn't imagine losing any of her children. She almost lost Cera and that was a horrible time in her life and then when Csaba took off with Farah she couldn't get herself out of bed for days and fell into a bitter depression until he returned.

In the midst of the solemn filled air she turned around searching for one of her missing children. "Where's Arielle?" she asked her daughter.

Cera gaped at her mother and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't want to see her mother's heartbreak when she was to find out Arielle left for good.

* * *

Anastasia went into her daughter's room in search of her. The first thing she noticed were the bows missing off the walls. She frowned confusedly and noticed a letter on the bed. She sat down and opened the letter written beautifully in that calligraphic type handwriting that Gabrielle forced Arielle to write in for the last five years. She smiled and ran her thumb across the parchment and read slowly.

_Mother,_

_I don't want you to be upset and you shouldn't have to worry about me anymore. You once asked me who the father was of my child and I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd be angry with me. I continue to disappoint you and I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you again. I left Pannonia to be with Bayan. I've been seeing him secretly for the last five years._

_I couldn't take the secrecy any longer. I didn't leave because I'm mad at you. Quite the opposite actually. I want to start a life of my own and be in charge of a new tribe. You can tell father that he doesn't have to worry about my share of the kingdom. He can hand over my position to Safiya or Yeter can keep her role as regent. I decided not to be angry at Yeter anymore. It was never her fault that she was given the role in the first place._

_There is a good thing about all of this. I'm happy and I don't want you to feel sad even though I know you will be. Bayan has told me that Erzibet and Bolgaris are going to attack Balaam. Tell father immediately but maybe don't tell him about Bayan. I'll see you again one day._

_I love you and everyone very much. I'm not doing this to hurt you._

Anastasia exhaled deeply and held the letter close to her chest. Cera peered from the doorway and heard her mother weeping. She knew that Arielle's departure was going to hurt their mother and the awful thing about it was that she had to keep Arielle's secret. It was one of the moments she was blessed she couldn't speak.

She made her way around the bed and Ana wiped her cheeks and she tried to smile. "Cera, did you see this?" she held the letter outward. "Arielle left…she's, she's gone. Did she tell you about this?"

Cera took a moment and decided to keep her sister's secret. She wagged her head and sat down beside her.

"I feel so stupid. I should have seen this coming. She's been lying to me for five years!" she chastised herself. Cera was less receptive now and felt guilty for lying to her mother's face. "How will I know that he will take care of her? What if something happens to her?" she frantically said.

The princess smiled and set a hand on her mother's and suggested she relax. Arielle was a smart girl and if she didn't want to be around Bayan, she would have left him long ago, she signed to her mother.

Ana nodded. "I wish I knew where she went."


	47. Chapter 47

**Things aren't looking too good for the peoples back in Pannonia**

**More focus on Xena and Gabrielle here and getting closer to the climax…*evil laugh***

Chapter 47 – _The Famine_

_Thermopylae –Day Eleven_

The rush of war invigorated the governor when they made camp in Thermopylae, although the excitement and adrenaline for war soon washed away when the citizens and soldiers revolted against the Hun hordes invading. She suddenly didn't like being in the thick of battle anymore. She and Xena hid behind a wall of one of Honoria's abandoned palaces from decades ago. The Huns captured the palace and used it as a shield but they couldn't stay here forever.

Pirro was severely wounded and possibly broke bones in his lower lumbar and was unable to walk. Ditron decided he was to be in charge of setting traps for the Grecians but he was running out of explosive powder. Xena didn't think they needed to take an abundant of black powder with them so she took a minimal amount. A big mistake on her part.

Gabrielle poked her head over the ledge of the stone wall and arrows flew over her head. She yelped and covered her head and threw herself on the floor. Xena sat on one leg and saw arrows flying over the wall and she ducked down against the wall.

"Xena, how are we supposed to get out of this? We're running out of black powder and half our archers are dead!" she screamed.

The commander looked over the wall briefly and ducked back down when the Greek archers spotted her. She felt like a failure at this very moment. She had never been in a position that she couldn't get out of until now. She wasn't going to wait here in this abandoned palace forever. She'd been in this spot for two days now and their food, water and weapon supply were running low.

She thought hastily and ripped her cape off her armor and balled it up then threw it over the wall. Gabrielle raised a brow at the odd behavior. She unbuckled the heavy shoulder plates and chest piece and slid it down the aisle.

"What are you doing?"

Xena sliced through the corset and threw that aside too. She whipped out the dagger inside her boot and was now on all fours. "Cover me," she said and stuck the dagger in between her teeth. She crawled along the wall with her bruised hands and banged-up knees.

Gabrielle took off her heavy cloak and crawled behind her wife and went underneath Badr's legs as he was throwing powdered bombs over the wall. He glanced down at her and she smiled then continued to follow her wife blindly.

The commander halted and snatched a bow hanging lonesome on the side of the palace wall and shoved it into her blonde wife's face. "Take this and don't look at me. Focus on the soldiers below."

"Xena…" she held the bow and then was handed a holster of arrows. "I don't like this. What are you doing?"

"I need to get to the other side of the palace." She said.

Gabrielle's heart raced and she knew the only way to get there was to walk across a rotted plank that separated the two walls. This building had gone through a lot of wars and battles over the years and neither one of the emperors renovated it after Valentinian and his sister died.

"Can you tell me why you need to get across?"

Xena grinned. "I'm going to use an old trick I pulled on Commander Aetius in Troy. I need you to distract the soldiers. Can you do that for me?"

She swallowed and the fear of allowing her wife to do this overcame her but she this time, she was asked to protect her this time and she couldn't flake out now. She nodded and strung the bow with three arrows.

"Yes, I'll cover you."

The brunette winked and stood up, alarming all of the soldiers. Hun archers lined the wall and shot continuously at the Greek soldiers below. Xena ran across the wall and Gabrielle followed her with back turned and aimed at the head archer below. Three arrows struck his chest and he fell on his back, knocking down two lesser archers.

Xena blocked out the arrows flying in front and behind her. She set her heavy boot on the rotting plank and it creaked. She inhaled deeply, holding her breath and threw her arms out to the side and began walking across the narrow wood. She stared directly downward, focusing on her boots and to make it across in one piece. She had to put her complete faith and trust in Gabrielle to make sure she wasn't shot down.

Ditron inside the palace compound saw a shadow on the ground and turned around, glaring at his sister over twenty feet above. "Are you fucking insane!" he yelled.

She ignored her brother and kept her eyes focused on the goal; to get across the plank and to the east wing of the palace. An arrow flew across her boot and she gasped. She paused and didn't want to look behind her, hoping that her wife was fighting for her safety and life.

"Gabrielle, everything okay back there?" she calls out.

"Yes! Just keep going!" she responded and shot four more arrows, double strung, at the archers below. She saw the Greeks grab ladders and panicked. They were heading towards the east walls. The soldiers leaned the ladders against the walls and climbed up. Xena was still not across the plank.

The old wooden plank was barely able to withstand her weight and parts began to splinter and break. Xena frowned and cursed under her breath. Only ten more feet to go but if she ran across it, it'd break in half. Even without her heavy armor and cape, her weight was too heavy for the plank. She took another step and it broke in half.

She jumped across and grabbed onto the ledge of the east palace wall. Her body banged against the wall and she grunted, trying to hold herself up with the strength of her fingers. She tried to hoist herself up, feeling around with her boots for a ledge or crevice in the wall. Her boots slid up and down the wall and her fingers began to slip.

Gabrielle looked over her shoulder as she was loading the bow. She ran to the west wall ledge and saw Xena hanging on for her life. "Oh my god," she muttered. Knowing that Xena told her to protect her, she couldn't take moment longer to worry over her so she loaded the bow with three more arrows and aimed at the Greeks again.

Xena let go of the ledge with one hand and unbuckled her belt that held her two heavy swords and let it drop to the ground. She swung her arm back up and held onto the ledge and tried to climb her way up. An arrow landed in between her fingers and her eyes widened. She peered down, another big mistake, and the Greeks were climbing up to the east wall, a mere two feet from where she dangled.

A soldier on the ladder swung his sword at her and she swayed her body out of the way. Her arms fell numb as she held up her entire weight. She growled and swung her leg around the corner of the wall and kicked the soldier off the ladder.

She hooked her boot around the ladder, looking for a step. Planting her boot on one of the upper steps of the ladder, she shimmied along the wall and let go of the wall ledge and grabbed onto the ladder. She quickly climbed up and pushed the ladder filled with Greeks onto the ground.

She laughed as they splat onto the ground into a pile, toppling each other. Now that she was in the clear, her eyes darted to Gabrielle who looked grateful and thankful she finally made it across. Xena ran along the east wall and waved her hand at Ditron below.

"I need all of the black powder now!" she yelled.

"We only have two barrels left and I made twenty bombs already!"

"Forget the bombs! I need all of it! Bring it up here!" she ordered and ducked down as a few arrows were shot her way.

The Huns continued to fight back against the Greeks and were not used to fighting on walls and hiding. It was not one of their best skills to hold back and be protected by a fortress but they complete trust in their commander.

Gabrielle made her way to the east palace after she got the archers off her back. Ditron poured all of the remaining powder into the two barrels and they rolled them down the aisle towards the front wall. Xena gave orders to place two barrels on the front and back walls of the east wing. That was where most of the Greeks were stationed.

The governor recognized this strategy. She'd seen it before in Troy like her wife said. She remembered the fear Xena struck in the Romans at that time and how young everyone was. Anastasia was only thirteen years old and now she was a grown woman in her early forties. Xena was young too, full of life and passion, now in her early sixties, she hadn't changed when it came to war. Gabrielle smiled, watching her command the boys as she called them. It was demeaning but Xena was never one to joke when it came to slaughtering people and defending her kind.

The barrels of powder were in place and Xena stopped to take a breath. She caught the blonde wife of hers staring at her with a goofy grin. "What?"

"I just like watching you work," she said slyly.

"Focus, Gabrielle." she grabbed her arm and walked away from the walls. "I asked Ditron to put oil in the barrels mixed with the black powder. On my command they will set the barrels aflame and throw them over the wall."

Gabrielle nodded. "Ah, yes. I remember this trick very well. Hot oil."

"But not just any oil! Powder with oil," she said with glee and poked her wife's chest. "It is highly explosive so when I give the order, we need to run off the wall. You follow me?"

"I'm following, don't worry." She wasn't going to be the one who was to be charred like the Greeks below.

Ditron gave a thumbs up to his sister at the front wall. "We're ready, Xena!"

She smiled maliciously. She yelled at the top of her lungs. "Now!" she waved her hand and grabbed Gabrielle then took off in the opposite direction, heading for the stairwell. "Get off the wall, get off the wall," she muttered under her breath and they raced down the steps together.

The men set the barrels aflame and tossed them over the walls and ran away for safety. The Greeks below looked above and scattered when they saw the barrels. It seems they were familiar with the trick as well.

Xena covered her head when the loud explosion hit the field and debris of the palace flew into the air. Pieces of flesh landed inside the compound, specifically on Gabrielle. She gagged and dusted off the bloody flesh of a Greek soldier and hid behind her wife for protection. The fire rose to a forty foot flame and the air filled with black smoke.

Ditron made it barely on time before he was blown into smithereens. The Greeks in the back fleet were spared from the explosion and retreated from the palace, leaving the fallen. The powder and oil mixed together was a deadly combination and even though the barrels exploded with great force, the powder around any ember set off smaller explosions in the field.

He smiled and wrapped an arm around his sister and she frowned, pushing his face away from hers. "Don't kiss me," she advised him.

Gabrielle hung onto her arm. "Can  _I_  kiss you?" she hinted.

Xena raised her eyebrow and allowed a peck to her cheek but that was all. She wasn't in the mood to celebrate just yet. They still had a lot of work to do. Not to mention they needed to resupply somewhere and they certainly weren't going to get any weapons from Thermopylae now that they destroyed the Grecian army which belonged to Justinian.

* * *

Inside the palace many of the wounded were treated and allowed rest during the battle for the last two weeks. The bodies that could not be saved were burned outside in the courtyards. Pirro lay on a few animal pelts and Xena sat beside him on the floor, cleaning his bloody wounds on his forehead, arms and legs.

He stirred awake and stared into her blue eyes. She smiled meekly and squeezed the water into a bowl and rubbed his arm with a fresh cloth. "Did we win?"

"For now," she said.

He bobs his head slowly and felt the twinges in his spine return. "Where –where's Gabrielle?"

"She's gathering the wounded." She couldn't bear the pain her little brother was in and he fought to hide it from her much like he did when he was a child. "Pirro, you're too injured to continue with us."

"No, no I'm fine. I'll be good as new in a few days." He tries to sit up and his back prevented him from doing so. He let out a loud growl and she pushed him back down on the floor.

"I've sent word to Csaba that we need supplies and men. I'm going to send you to Banat."

He grabbed her wrist and breathed deeply, trying to disregard his excruciating pain. "I want to fight, Xena. Don't deny me that! I've come this far."

She smiled sadly and tears threaten to fall. She didn't want to lose another brother to war like she lost Lyceus and Xander. She didn't know the whereabouts of Toris and didn't even know if he was alive but Pirro and Ditron were all she had left of her home in Amphipolis.

"You've fought well, Pirro. I –I don't want you to die. I want you to live a long life even when I'm long gone. I'm not going to let you come with us and risk your injuries worsening."

His hand fell to his side and he turned his cheek to hide the tears in his eyes.

"I wasn't able to save Xander or Lyceus but I can save you." a tear streamed down her cheek and she brushed her fingers against his hand. He responded by intertwining his fingers with hers. "Think about it," she wiped her cheek, "you could go back to Pannonia. Find a woman and start a family. You can live a normal life."

He forced a strained laugh and turned to gawk at his sister. "You think a Hun woman would like me?"

"Of course," she laughed lightly. "You're smart, handsome and  _very_  funny," she emphasized the last bit.

"Well," he shyly began, "some of the Bulgur women are very nice to look at." He wriggled his eyebrows and she pinched his hand. He hissed. "What? They are!"

She rolled her eyes and kissed his hand then stood up slowly. "Rest for now. You'll be leaving as soon as we get word from Csaba."

Gabrielle finished escorting the last of the injured into the palace and walked over to her exhausted wife. "Hey," she gripped her shoulder. "You did a good job today. I was beginning to worry. We were on that wall for days."

"Ah, never worry about my skills, Gabrielle." she tapped her head and gave a surly grin.

"Maybe I could take a look at your leg," she hinted, knowing that the old injury had been bothering her wife for months now.

Xena waved her hand and walked to sit down somewhere where there wasn't a moaning or ill soldier. She sat down steadily and exhaled deeply. Gabrielle folded her arms and lifted her chin.

"Your leg,  _commander_ ," she teased.

"I am not in need of your assistance,  _governor_."

"Sure you are. Let me see." Gabrielle knelt down on one knee and rubbed her fingers gently over her wife's thigh. Xena pulled away and frowned. "I see it is bothering you more than you're letting on. I'm going to need you to disrobe," she said with a grin.

Xena scoffed and looked around at the men who were being tended to and some were asleep. "I'm not taking my clothes off in front of my men."

"No problem. There are plenty of rooms in this run down palace."

"Just what I need: cobwebs and musty beds." She chided and her wife pulled her up off the bench. "I don't need you to baby me, Gabrielle."

"Who's babying? I'm taking care of you." she pulled her along to a private area of the palace. "It's my job."

* * *

Dengizich's death was taken a lot harder by the khatun than any other death in the camp. Weeks after the funeral ceremony, Kreka was distant from everyone in the family. She made herself scarce when it came to political meetings and talk of war. She went to the site where her other family members' ashes lay rest in the soil.

Her family was slowly slipping away from her and she thought she'd be the one to go first, not her son. Her husband had been gone a long time but she still missed him. Her daughter in law, Leila and granddaughter, Giselle, left her life long ago and now her son came to join them all. Now she had her only son left and her grandson, Kurt. Ellac was like a son to her and he was the last thing she had close to Attila. He looked a lot like him and was very kind, but she was sure he got that from his mother. She never met Cera but from what Xena told her, the woman was a kind soul and taken too early.

Kreka sat in front of the gravesite, remembering her family during the happiest moments in life. She heard footsteps behind her and didn't bother to turn around. "Good morning, Anastasia," she greeted.

Ana froze and thought she was being stealthy but that obviously failed. She came to sit next to the khatun and stare at the large flowerbed planted over the clan members' ashes.

"I hope you haven't come to pity me," she said with a slight grin.

"Oh…no, I just wanted to check on you."

"Mhm." Kreka fiddled with her cotton dress and laid her hands in her lap.

Anastasia knew what death felt like. She thought her mother was dead once and lived without Ellac for ten years thinking he was dead. It was a horrible and numbing feeling. She knew Kreka wasn't one for words. "You must be excited about Ernak's new child coming in the spring."

The khatun turned to the queen and smiled. "Yes, it is very exciting news. Our family continues to grow with each passing year it seems like." She said and Ana bit her bottom lip. "A shame that Arielle's contribution was not fruitful."

Ana's face drained of color and she gaped at the khatun, incredibly embarrassed and shocked. "You knew?"

"It was obvious, Anastasia." she turned to glance at the flowerbed once more. "You were blind to the signs." She shifts and eyed the dumbstruck queen. "Ursula came to me and told me one of Arielle's friends asked for the mandrake root and henbane. Ursula is not a foolish woman. She knew the herbs were for Arielle."

The queen's eyes darkened. "Then why did you do nothing to stop it? You could have told me."

"A woman is allowed her secrets,  _tatli kiz_. Arielle made her choice and neither I nor Ursula would have done any good telling you. She's her own woman and can make her own decisions."

"She is  _not_  a woman! She is a girl!"

Kreka frowned and squeezed Anastasia's cheeks. "She is not a  _girl_ ," she spoke firmly, enough to silence the queen opposite her. "She is old enough to choose who she lies with. She is old enough to be queen. You have your mother's pigheaded attitude and it is not very becoming of you." she hissed and snatched her hand away.

Ana rubbed her cheeks and glared at the khatun and then the flowerbed. Even though she was queen she felt like a child around Kreka sometimes. She softened, knowing that her deceased family members might be listening to her conversation. She respected Kreka's opinions and advice just as much as she respected her mother's. Maybe she respected the khatun more than her mother at times.

"You are implying that I should not worry or care that my daughter ran away."

"I did not imply anything," said Kreka in a neutral tone. "You need not worry about Arielle. She will come home when she feels that she needs you."

Ana sighed. "What if she will  _never_  need me?"

The hazel eyed queen mother smirked and ran her thumb across Anastasia's cheek. "She will."

* * *

After the conversation she had with Kreka she felt somewhat relieved about Arielle's departure. She was worrying for weeks and Kreka was able to put that to rest when she reminded her that Arielle will one day come back. She had to keep holding onto that hope that her daughter would come home. She'd wait for that day and made a promise to herself not to chastise her daughter when that day was to come.

Ellac walked into the bedroom and held a parchment in his hand. "This is from Csaba," he alarmed her. "Sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

"No. What did Csaba have to say?"

"There's disease spreading in Banat. He had to kill every single person infected with the illness and burn their bodies," he hated to say. He threw the parchment on the table and his wife's mouth parted, also distraught by the news.

He added, "Ernak told me that he found sick livestock in our camp. I ordered him to burn the remains of the goats and horses."

Anastasia stood up and brushed her hair behind her ears. "We can't have this camp infected with foreign diseases. None of this would have happened if those Byzantines stayed where they belonged!"

"What should we do? Wait and see if anyone contracts the disease?"

"No. We need to leave the camp and move."

Ellac frowned. "Move? Anastasia, our family and tribe are here. We can't just move."

"Then I suppose you want everyone to die," she spat and he shook his head. "I didn't think so. We'll relocate the entire tribe to northern Pannonia. It is further away from Banat and Constantinople. We can't risk this. We will burn every yurt here, including the Adame."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"We can build a new home –a bigger home. I will not let some simple thing as a disease wipe out our people. We've suffered enough. We also need to go to Balaam and protect Navaz's kingdom against the Persians."

Ellac heard of the letter Arielle left behind. If any of it were true, they were all in for a rude awakening and they'd have to fight against Hormizd again. "I will tell Ebnedzar and Ernak to spread the word about the move. When shall we go to Balaam to help Navaz?"

She cursed her mother for taking all of the elite soldiers with her. They were stuck with the remnants and recruits but they had other Huns on their side such as Navaz's army, the Gokturks and if need be, the Nezak Huns lead by Malka. She guessed that the Nezaks were having issues with Hormizd already especially since Erzibet was set on wiping out Balaam if Arielle's letter was true to word.

"We will leave by the end of this month. I'd like to move to north Pannonia in the next three months but I need someone to scout for a good location. Could Ernak do that?"

"I'm sure he'd be happy to." he agreed with her. She had her mind set on things and although he was king of the empire, he often consulted his wife and the other women in charge for advice. He was glad that he did. He thought of his brother's last words. "I love you."

Anastasia raised a confused eyebrow. "I love you too," she smiled and kissed his cheek.

* * *

_Thermopylae –Day Twenty Seven_

Two soldiers from Banat arrived at the abandoned palace where Xena anxiously awaited for them. She expected Csaba to send men but he sent only two soldiers and they weren't here to fight. They were delivering two wagons filled with food and weapons.

Xena walked over to one of the soldiers and also expected a letter but there was none. "Where are the men I asked for?"

"King Csaba says that he is unable to provide men, commander. Disease is rapidly spreading in Banat and into lower Pannonia." He relayed the message.

Her heart sank at that news. This was far worse than being low on men as of late. Gabrielle came to join her and grabbed her hand. "Csaba sent a lot of supplies. We ought to thank him later in person," she said cheerily.

"What else has happened?" Xena asked the soldier, paying no attention to her wife.

"Due to the disease, all the crops have been burned. Banat is overcome with famine. I have no word on Pannonia." He bowed his head and smiled at the governor.

"Famine?!" Gabrielle blurted out. "My god, that is horrible. What will happen to all of those children we sent to Banat?" she asked and looked at the soldiers' solemn expressions. "Oh no…" she dipped her head downward.

Xena crossed her arms and put the thought of dead children out of her mind for now. "Set the supplies inside the palace compound." She pointed behind her and they nodded and went on about their way, pulling the large caravans by horse.

"Xena, those children…"

"I know." She put up her hand. "We can't think about that now, Gabrielle. We have to resupply and leave this place before Justinian figures out we're still here. We have to get to Syracuse and with the famine and disease in Banat…I can't send Pirro there."

Gabrielle couldn't get rid of the knots in her stomach as the thought of those children diseased and in pain. They already suffered so much and now they were dead –all of them. They saved the children for nothing, she thought.

"Well…we could get the ships from Dalmatia." Suggested the governor, trying to provide a plausible solution.

The commander's upper lip lifted into a confused snarky smile. "And how do you suggest we get there? Swim?"

"Why do you have to be so rude at a time like this?"

"I'm just being practical. It will take too long to backtrack to get the ships from Dalmatia."

"We're not that far away from Dalmatian coast, Xena. Nobody is going to give us ships here unless you want to be killed along the way." She folded her arms, challenging her wife.

"We're further away from Dalmatia than you think, Gabrielle. If we go through the inlands it'll take us two weeks at the most. That will take too long. And even if we do get the ships from Dalmatia we'll have to sail to Syracuse and that's another week. What are we going to do with all the wounded soldiers? They can't come with us. They'll only slow us down."

Gabrielle turned her back to the palace and there were at least fifty wounded men, some could walk, others couldn't. Pirro was one of those who could not walk let alone stand. If Banat wasn't in such a state of famine and disease, the injured would have gone there but now the plans were askew. This was a turn of events and they had to find some other way to go around it all.

"We have a few options and I know you're not going to like them," she suggests and Xena placed hands on her hips, ready to listen. "We could send the two Banat soldiers we have to Dalmatia and sail the ships here and risk staying here and getting attacked by Justinian again. Or we could send the injured to Banat knowing they could possibly contract the disease and go to Dalmatia. Or our final option, we take the wounded with us to Dalmatia and get the ships ourselves. Either way, we'll be waiting for a couple of weeks."

Xena weighed the pros and cons of each scenario and it didn't look good. There was another possibility: leaving the wounded here to survive on their own and the rest of the army heads to Dalmatia. But she didn't want to leave her men behind especially since some of them were not even close to death. It was a code she lived by: never leave a soldier behind.

She decided, "We will go to Dalmatia and bring the wounded with us. It will take three weeks but I won't leave anyone behind. We'll have to take the back roads and steer clear of the coast."

The governor smiled and plants a hand on her wife's shoulder. "I knew you'd pick the right option even if it means slowing down the mission."

"Uh huh," Xena shrugged her blonde wife's hand off her shoulder. "But we need to make it look like we've lost a lot of men so we won't be followed. I know Justinian has more men hiding somewhere. He's going to send them here soon."

"How are we going to do that?"

Xena raised an eyebrow and looked back at the large palace. She nodded then smiled. "I have an idea."

* * *

Ditron carried a large rolled up rug with a soldier aiding him, to a pile of other rugs that were confiscated from the palace. They dropped the rug on top of the dozen other rugs and Ditron huffed and turned to Gabrielle who was supervising.

"Why are we going to burn these rugs and tapestries?" he asked her.

"Xena said it's part of the 'plan'." She told him but she was equally as miffed as him. She hated when Xena didn't explain the plan until the very last moment.

The wounded were instructed to strip themselves of their armor and those who were unable to walk were forced to forfeit their boots. The ones were unable to use their lower extremities were also to surrender their weapons. The armor, boots and weapons were taken to the rug pile outside the palace.

As disgusting was it was, they were also forced to gather all of the rotting Greek corpses outside the compound to be put in the pile of rugs and armor.

Xena walked out of the palace after she saw Pirro and took his armor and boots and threw the items into the pile. She spoke to her wife, "we're going to burn this when we leave for Dalmatia in the next couple of days."

"And this is part of the plan because…" Gabrielle said while she pinched her nose at the stench. Although the rancid smell didn't seem to bother the commander at all and if it did, she was doing a great job hiding it.

"We will fool Justinian into thinking we lost a lot more men than we actually did. It will deter him from coming after us. We will have to cover our tracks when we leave."

"Ah," the governor said in a nasally voice. " _Great_  plan."

"It's going to work. You'll see."

Gabrielle still had her nose pinched and suspiciously looked up at her wife. "Have you done this before?"

Xena grinned. "No but there's a first time for everything!" she said in a bit of a too cheery tone.

* * *

Ursula was kind enough to let Yeter and Issik stay in Talat and Tolan's yurt during her stay. Everything that Yeter took with her from Balaam was now to be packed up slowly for the trip to the new location for the tribe. Ellac and Ana said they wanted to leave in the next couple of months. Women and children were to leave on the caravan first and the men were last to leave.

Yeter put in the last bit of her jewelry and extra boots she brought into her large chest. She folded some of Issik's winter coats and packed them into the chest as well. She closed the top and locked the latches then stood up then tried to lift the heavy chest.

Talat and Tolan came inside, laughing and talking then saw their sister in law attempting to lift the chest. Talat rushed over and grabbed her shoulder. "We can help you with that," he offered.

She lifted her eyes up at the two lanky young teenage boys and nodded then stepped aside. The two teenagers grabbed the chest by the handles and carried it outside of the yurt to the caravan.

Safiya sidestepped the boys and entered the yurt after them. Yeter wiped her brow and knelt down to continue packing. "Yeter," she announced herself and the Gokturk whipped her head around. "You are wanted in the Adame. Farah requested you."

Yeter scoffed and threw her son's boots in the chest. "What does the spoiled queen want with me? I am busy."

"It concerns Issik."

Her heart palpitated and she swiftly got to her feet. "Is he alright? Is he hurt?"

Safiya said nothing to concern the Gokturk. "You should go see Farah."

* * *

With haste Yeter ran to the suite where Farah was. She barged into the room and saw her son in Edemen's bed, pale and sweating from head to toe. She panicked and ran to her son's side and cupped his sweaty flushed cheeks. Farah was talking to her chambermaids and instructed them to take her infant twin boys out of the room. Edemen was present as well and he stuck close by to his mother.

Farah rounded the bed and tried to pull Yeter away from the bedside. "Yeter, you need to get away from him." She prompted and the Gokturk queen didn't listen. "Yeter, god dammit you're pregnant. Get away from him!" she yanked the woman away.

Yeter couldn't keep her eyes off her sickly son and Farah ushered her further and further away. "What's wrong with him?"

"He was playing with Kurt and Edemen then he collapsed near the river. Edemen came to tell me and I brought him here. I don't know if he has the plague that is spreading in Banat but it is not safe for you to be here."

"I can't just leave him here!" Yeter tried to run back to her son and Farah blocked her path. "Out of my way!"

"No!" she grabbed her shoulders. She was almost tempted to knock out the Gokturk but refrained for now. "He is to be quarantined, ordered by Anastasia. Ursula is coming here to treat him but you can't be here." She demanded and tears streamed down Yeter's face. "Come with me, please?"

* * *

Edemen sat in a boiling hot bath, screaming and wailing at the top of his lungs while Anastasia rubbed his body down with lye which burned his skin. Farah held him down and he was red in the face as kept wailing and trying to escape the bath. His flesh was bright red and had patches all over from the intense scrubbing.

Ana frowned and tried to shut her hearing off from her grandson's infernal crying. She dipped the cloth into the hot lye filled water and scrubbed his back vigorously. Farah wasn't able to withstand watching her son in pain and her grip on his shoulders lessened. Edemen tried to make an escape and Ana pushed him back into the water.

"Farah, hold him down!" she yelled.

"But he's in pain!"

"I'm aware, but I need to make sure he doesn't have anything on his skin. You don't want him to turn out like Issik do you?" she asked in a firm voice and Farah shook her head. "Good. Now hold him down."

Farah sighed and forced her son to stay in the hot bath water. His whimpering slowed and his chest rose and fell heavily, letting out forced sobs and hiccups from wailing and screaming for almost half an hour. Using all the muscles in his body and air from the lungs, tired him out and he exhaled in baited breaths.

Anastasia smiled softly and lifted one of his arms and scrubbed around his small ribcage. "Almost done, Ede." She poured water onto his head and scrubbed his hair. "You're doing a great job," she encouraged him as he was quiet now, exhausted from the traumatic bath he just had.

She wrapped a towel around him and lifted him out of the bath. He wrapped the soft towel around his body and wiped his runny nose with the linen.

"Send in Kurt please," she ordered and poured the rest of the lye into a fresh bucket of hot water.

Farah escorted her son out and in walked Nisa and Kurt. The prince gawked at Edemen's blotchy red cheeks and legs, and puffy red eyes and now was horrified of what was to come. Anastasia turned around and smiled at the boy. She wagged her finger and pointed to the bath.

"Get in."

* * *

_Road to Dalmatia –Day Sixteen_

Ditron caught up with his sister after he checked on his brother who was being carried on a litter by a horse. "You know, seems kind of moronic to travel backwards to get a couple of ships only to go back to the coast of Italia."

Xena groaned and was weary from the journey already. She hadn't slept in weeks and her hair was frizzy and wild as were her eyes. Once they arrived in Dalmatia she was going to take a bath and get her brother and the other wounded soldiers settled then sail to Syracuse to get combat Odoacer's empire.

"I'm not in the mood for your smartass mouth, Ditron."

"I'm just saying."

She turned and grabbed his collar. "And I'm  _just_   _saying_  to shut your mouth before I pound your face in," she growls.

Gabrielle galloped back to the army from scouting ahead to make sure everything was safe. "We might have a little trouble getting to Dalmatia."

Xena shoved her brother and he rubbed his throat then steered his horse away from her. She took in a deep calming breath and asked her, "and  _why_  is that? We're only two days away from Dalmatia."

"I know but this land is still Justinian's territory. There are a group of Byzantines ahead of us. They're blocking the pass to Dalmatia's border," Gabrielle informed her already irritated wife.

Xena raised her hand to halt the army. "Everybody, stop!" she yelled. Horses skid to a stop and rustling of armor and swords came from the soldiers behind her. "Here's what we're going to do." she spoke loud enough so everyone could hear her and she turned her horse round to her men.

"Some of you will take the wounded to the east side of the forest. I will send in two fleets of archers to distract the Byzantines ahead. While they're distracted, we will go around the eastern pass and enter Dalmatia. Once we've crossed, they won't be able to attack us."

The men looked at one another nervously and she narrowed her eyes at their skepticism. "Does everyone understand the  _plan_?"

"Yes commander," the lot answered.

She smiled. " _Excellent_." She steered her steed and waved her hand at the rest of the army minus the fleets of archers, to follow her. "Get to it then," she called out and led the men and wounded to the east forest.

Gabrielle kicked the horse and trotted up beside her. "You're sending those men to their deaths."

"A small price to pay for the lives of hundreds, Gabrielle." She said coldly. "It is their duty to protect the empire. They know what they signed up for."

"Xena," she began and was interrupted by the cries of Hun men and Romans being shot down. "I'm worried that you aren't giving yourself a break. We've been at war for months now."

"The goal is close. We will get to Syracuse and ransack Odoacer's empire. This will be the end of his reign. Justinian is just a pebble in my shoe right now." She kept her focus on the road. Her eyes drifted to her worried wife. "Gabrielle, I'm fine. My head is in the right place. I want Odoacer to fall and if we went through all of this and lost, it will be for nothing. We're going to try very hard to win. This time, it is about winning."

The governor nodded and looked behind at the massacre occurring. "I thought you said winning wasn't important."

"It is when it comes to the fall of Rome," she squinted her eyes and trotted onward.

* * *

Cera waited a long time to receive a letter from Arielle and when that day finally came, she couldn't be happier. She was starting to wonder if her sister had died or been kidnapped. She couldn't rip open the letter fast enough. She threw herself on the bed and had a great big smile on her face when she read her sister's letter.

She still felt a bit guilty keeping this from her entire family but it was better this way especially with everything going on around here. Her room was now barren of her clothes and other belongings for the journey to their new home soon.

In Arielle's letter she spoke of the wedding ceremony that took place a month ago. She was careful not to mention the location of where she lived in case her letters to Cera were confiscated by someone. She spoke about the beautiful white dress she wore that had a ten foot train. Unlike the gowns that were worn in Pannonia, the dress had no sleeves and dipped in the center of her breasts. While the women where she lived now were modest, their wedding gowns were not.

Cera kept smiling as she continued to read. Arielle also mentioned a woman named Ku-Ilm, or Ku for short, who was her and Bayan's maid. Cera crinkled her eyebrows and the letter went on and on about this Ku woman. Arielle seemed to really like her. She skipped over the rest of letter about Ku and at the bottom was a mention of Bayan and Arielle traveling to Mongolia and China to recruit people for their new tribe.

She sighed and was happy for her sister and that she was doing so well, but she did miss her a lot. All of their time spent arguing and fighting had been missed. Cera hurried to her desk and grabbed fresh parchment and ink to write her sister back. She probably wouldn't get another chance before the move.

_Arielle,_

_I'm glad you're having a great time…wherever you are. I was waiting for your letter and thought you'd never write. You missed a lot while you were gone. The day after you left, father came back from warring with the Goths and Dengizich died in battle. Kreka Khatun is still upset about it but I know she'll get over it eventually. Good news though, Nisa is pregnant and due in late spring. I'm already dreading her and Yeter complaining for the next few months._

_I have some not-so-good news. Banat is ravaged with plague and famine. Somehow it spread here and Issik might have the illness. Mother is forcing us to move to another part of Pannonia. We're leaving in a couple of months and burning the Adame and yurts down._

_Mother and father left to Balaam to fight against the Shah. I hope what you said in your letter was true about Erzibet and Bolgaris. You should probably wait for my next letter because I don't know where our new home will be._

_Anyway, mother misses you and I do too._

Cera folded the letter up and heard her door open. She hurried and stuffed it inside the drawer and leapt up from the chair. Nisa raised her eyebrow and smiled. "What are you up to?"

She shook her head and signed 'nothing'.

"Right. Kreka Khatun wants you in the women's quarters. She's having a meeting with all of the children about the move."

Cera nodded and shoved the drawer in with her boot and skipped to the door and grabbed Nisa's hand with a big smile. She sneakily placed her hand on Nisa's stomach and raised her eyebrows, asking a question with her eyes and silent hand motions.

"I'm doing very well thank you for asking," Nisa replied and nudged her student's arm playfully. "You miss your grandmother and Gabrielle?"

The princess let out a hefty sigh and that was another two people she added to the list of who she missed in her life.

"I'm sure they'll come back with lots of riches and wonderful news."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48 – _Persian Resurrection_

_Balaam_

The news of Hormizd planning an attack on Balaam was not unexpected to Navaz. He knew that the Shah was going to attack and was thankful that Ellac and Anastasia came to help. They brought some of the army with them but their numbers were few. Ellac explained that Xena took most of the army to Justinian's territories to war with them. He expected nothing less from the commander.

Anastasia took this opportunity to tell him about Arielle's escapade with Bayan. He did not take the news well and was furious that his teenage daughter ran off with the Kidarite prince. It did not help that Bayan's brother was an ally of the Persians and Vandals which infuriated Navaz even more. He even went as far as insulting Anastasia and blaming her for their daughter's insolence and boldness.

Ellac was not Arielle's father but he was around her far more than Navaz. He was a parent to Arielle and when Navaz began lashing out at Anastasia, Ellac decided to step in and calm him down. That was a week ago and Ana was not on speaking terms with Navaz since then. It was tense inside the Balaam Adame since they were always in close quarters but Ana did her best to avoid Navaz for awhile and left the negotiating to her husband and ex-husband who seemed to be very good friends now than they were years ago.

Anastasia went on a search for Oran and found his quarters which used to belong to servants. She walked into the room and caught Oran talking with a young Sabir woman. He smiled at her and whispered to the woman to vacate the area. Anastasia raised her eyebrow and the woman shyly brushed by her.

"Who was that?" she asked.

Oran hopped out of bed and grabbed a tunic to cover his bare chest. "A friend," he said nonchalantly.

The queen nodded suspiciously. "A  _friend_. In your  _bed_."

"Anastasia, I am allowed to do what I want with my life. You don't live here and you don't control what I do in my spare time," he reminded her of her place.

She raised her eyebrows and folded her arms. "You are aware your wife is carrying your child."

Oran frowned and grabbed his boots. "Yes. She told me before she left and I'm very overjoyed about the baby." He said and laced up his boots quickly. He felt her eyes on him and tried to ignore it. He stood up and faced the displeased queen.

"I don't love Yeter and she doesn't love me. She's a great mother to my son and she loves him more than anything in the world. I have no doubt it will be the same for the new baby and I want her to be happy. So please, stay out of my life, Anastasia." he clasped her shoulder and walked out of the room.

She stood miffed in the doorway and her husband grabbed her hand and she spun around. "Navaz wants us to help Zolten command the army and prepare them for Hormizd." He told her.

She frowned and folds her arms defiantly. "Oh, so he is speaking to me now?"

Ellac sighed and didn't wish to get in the middle of this delicate situation but it was too late. He was tired of being their buffer. "Anastasia, this has gone on long enough. You need to speak to him. I'm not going to be your messenger anymore."

"He called me a bad mother!"

"He didn't mean it. He was just angry at the time. I'd like to be on good terms with everyone here and we need to focus on Persia right now so talk to him, please." He encouraged her.

* * *

Anastasia went to Navaz's quarters and there he was writing out a battle plan for the impending attack. He lifted his dark eyes and the frown on his lips dissipated when he saw her. She closed the doors to allow them both some privacy and stayed close to the exit in case he was about to yell at her again.

He set down the feather pen and stood slowly from the chair and rounded the desk. "I…should not have raised my voice to you."

She crossed her arms and listened, waiting for more, an apology perhaps.

"Arielle is my daughter too and I feel like if I was there more for her, she wouldn't have run off with  _Bayan_ ," he said sourly, unable to say the boy's name without a snarl.

Anastasia lowered her guard and approached him. "Navaz, my mother told me something before Arielle left and I think you need to hear it. Our daughter is going to do what she wants with or without our permission. She's her own person and she's very headstrong. She wanted to be queen when she was ten years old!" she says with a laugh and he finally smiled. "Your presence wouldn't have stopped her from seeing Bayan. My mother wasn't able to keep me away from Ellac either when I was a teenager."

"You aren't helping."

She grasped his broad shoulders. "My point is; she isn't going to listen to us."

He sighed deeply and furrowed his eyebrows. "So, we are just supposed to let her do whatever she wants?"

"She's a smart girl. If she needs us, she'll come home," she repeated the words Kreka told her.

Navaz exhaled and smiled at her. "We must stop arguing over Arielle. I'm sorry for what I said, Anastasia."

"I forgive you. And yes, we need a better system to parent together because this obviously is not working." She said and he agreed. "But for now, we focus on Persia. This is our priority."

* * *

_Syracuse –Day Nine_

The Huns gathered in Sicilia and docked their ships along the port. Luckily, the area was not too populated and they resided in the countryside of the small city. It was a relief to be off of Byzantine grounds and Justinian would now have figured out that the Huns had duped him with the falsified burned remains of the Greek soldiers. Xena's orders to attack the Byzantine soldiers along Dalmatia's borders would have gotten back to the emperor now.

The good thing about being in Sicilia was that they were in Odoacer's territory now and Justinian wasn't going to sail across two seas to get here. Even if he tried to find the Hun army, he wouldn't dare step over into Dalmatia unless he wanted to be attacked by Dalmatians and Huns alike.

The wounded soldiers were kept in Dalmatia, far from the coast and closer to lower Pannonia. They received no word from Csaba in Banat and Gabrielle mentioned that maybe they should write someone in Pannonia to find out what was happening there but Xena didn't want their location to be exposed so letters were basically off limits until this long mission was over. Months of war was beginning wear and tear at the soldiers.

Xena was so focused on war and winning that she was starting to lose her mind. She'd been on these types of missions of war several times but never for this long. She usually went back to Pannonia in between war and the feuds would continue for months to years. She was never on the road this long before and she hated to admit that she was tired, exhausted even.

Gabrielle knew her wife wasn't going to stop until Odoacer was toppled off his throne. But she couldn't watch her suffer for another few months and she wanted this to end. She suggested to the men that they relax for awhile and wait until trouble finds them for once. It wasn't like they were going anywhere anytime soon.

They found another abandoned palace and assumed it also belonged to Valentinian or perhaps his mother, Placida, given all of the Greek statues and busts everywhere. Xena allowed the men to make camp inside the palace and outside on the grounds. She took her wife's advice to relax and let loose.

Gabrielle filled herself with wine and enjoyed the company around her. She normally didn't hang around the soldiers and if she did, it was for a short time. She didn't realize so many of these men were incredibly intelligent. They weren't all brutes like Xena claimed them to be.

She sat by the fire inside the palace and laughed along with a few soldiers while Xena listened to their conversation, sipping slowly on her second glass of wine. Usually she'd be on her fourth or fifth glass by now but she wasn't in the mood to drown her organs with alcohol knowing that they could be attacked at any moment.

The tipsy governor's laugh died down and she looked over at her rather quiet wife. "Xena, you need to relax. This is a party! A celebration for how well we've been doing so far! Lighten up."

She smirked and swished the wine back and forth with a flick of her wrist. "I am relaxed, Gabrielle."

The blonde leaned over and rests her cheek on the commander's arm. "But your mind is still on –still ticking. Do you ever turn that thing off?" she tapped her wife's head and then ran her fingers along the dark strands. "Your hair…so soft."

Xena stifled a laugh. "You've had too much wine."

"You know," Gabrielle crinkled her nose and wrapped her wife's long hair shaft around her head. "You should really cut your hair. I mean," she snorted, "have you seen Ana's hair? It's like…way passed her butt now. It'll be down to her knees in no time!" she jest and made herself cackle.

Xena raised her eyebrow and sipped the wine while her drunken wife kept toying with her hair. Normally she'd be bothered by it but the frivolous things didn't seem to bother her so much anymore. She also enjoyed watching her wife make a fool of herself.

"Does…Safiya even have hair?" she wondered. "I…never seen that woman without a veil on."

"I don't know. Maybe when we all share a bathhouse together, you will find out," Xena chuckled.

Gabrielle pulled away and frowned. "That is not funny. I never want to see Kreka naked again!" she cringed at the memory.

"You don't think she has a nice body?" pried Xena, further trying to embarrass her wife. Gabrielle was sure to forget about tonight's events.

"No, no…I," she swallowed before she spoke, "I never said… _that_. She has a great body and that is the problem. All you women…have nice bodies," she commented and her wife smiled smugly. Her eyes glossed over and she raised her wine glass. "I'd definitely…share a bed with Kreka."

Xena spat out her wine and widened her eyes. She didn't know whether to laugh or keep quiet so Gabriele could keep talking. She wiped her mouth and her outburst went unnoticed by her wife. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah, she is…very attractive," she waved her hand in the air. She went on, "I mean I would rather have you."

"Of course," Xena nods her head and plays along.

"But Kreka is nice to look at. I think she hates me."

Xena smiled. "She doesn't."

"She…she can be such a bitch sometimes."

"No argument there." She lifted her glass and drank the last bit of wine.

Badr came in like a lightning bolt and skid to a stop in front of them. "Commander, there are men approaching the camp."

Xena stood up swiftly and Gabrielle fell over onto her side. She rolled her eyes. "Take her to a bed and give her some water," she ordered him. Badr nodded and grabbed the governor and hoisted her over his shoulder. Gabrielle complained and had no idea where she was being taken. She also flipped the wine over and it spilled all over the floor as she hung upside down.

Ditron waited for his sister outside the palace and he turned when he saw her approaching. She wrapped the cloak around her from the winter winds rushing in from the coast miles away. He was not one for drinking much, which was much more Pirro's thing. He wanted to be alert and he was glad that he was.

"They do not appear to be Romans," he told her.

She steps forward a few paces and eyes the armor from afar. "No. They're Goths."

"Which ones? Aren't there two tribes?"

"I am not sure. I don't want to take any chances. Prepare the able men for a possible attack." She said and her brother ran off to tell the soldiers to get ready and grab weapons. She knew having a party was not the best idea right now and her governor was drunk out of her mind. Perfect timing, she thought.

King Alaric was first to enter the camp and before it was bursting with laughter and singing now fell silent upon his arrival. He showed his empty hands, void of weapons. The Huns were resilient and they were always prepared. He liked that about them.

"Xena," he spoke to her from afar. "You are far from home. I heard you were raiding Constantinople and now I find you across the waters!"

She walked over to the Goth king and stared at him in the eyes, barely a foot under his steed. "I don't want any trouble, Alaric."

"On the contrary, Xena, I want to help. The sons of Attila fought well on my side against the Visigoths months ago. I have signed a treaty with your empire."

She raised an eyebrow and placed hands on her hips. She nudged a head at her men to put the weapons down. Turning back to the Goth king she titled her chin upward. "You're an ally of ours now?"

"Yes. As it should have been decades ago."

"Forgive me, but I am not fond of Goths. How can I be sure that I can trust you?"

He smiled and pulled out the document he signed with Ellac and Anastasia during his brief visit in Pannonia. He handed it over and said, "Here is the signed treaty. Is that proof enough for you?"

She glanced at her daughter's signature and frowned deeply. She still remained skeptical but if Anastasia signed it then it was obviously not a false document. It would be terribly rude for her to deny his help and she did need it. Her army was suffering as a lot and the wounded were in Dalmatia and soon more were to be injured. She bows her head and allows him and the rest of the Goth army to pass into her camp.

Alaric dismounts his horse and hands it over to one of his soldiers to be cared for. He took off his silver helm and walks with her across the camp towards the abandoned palace. "My condolences," he says to her.

She paused and widens her eyes. "What?"

His face paled and now realized that she had no idea. "Oh…Prince Dengizich…he did not survive during the battle. I helped Ellac bring him back to Pannonia for the funeral."

Xena placed a hand over her heart and emit a sad frown. She only left a little bit before Ellac and Dengi did and now the news of the prince's death was a hard blow and certainly unexpected. Her mind immediately went to Kreka and knew that she was going to grieve for a long time over Dengi's death. Kreka was not immune to death, especially deaths in the family, but she could be very sensitive; a side that the khatun hid well from everyone. Attila's death was truly unexpected and shameful. Kreka hid her emotions then and she hid them when Giselle died. It was only when Leila died that she began to crack. She could only imagine what Kreka did when she saw her dead son delivered to her side.

"Kreka," she spoke in a soft voice, "is she alright?"

Alaric half smiled. "She was very upset when I saw her last. I imagined she cared for her son a lot."

Xena nodded and rubbed the lump in her throat.

"I'm sorry. I thought someone would have told you."

She put up a hand. "It's alright. There will be plenty of time to grieve later." She took in a deep breath and walked onward. "Let us discuss battle plans for Odoacer."

* * *

The caravan trail was lead by Ernak while Ebnedzar stayed behind to lead the men after they finished burning all of the yurts and Adame. The trail lasted for miles as the caravans, horses and wagons traveled in a single line with Ernak leading the way with Talat and Tolan. The new location was in the Matra Hills in the northern part of Pannonia and instead of being next to the Danube River; they were now going to live next to the Tisza River.

The journey would normally take half a day but with the entire tribe of women and children and riding at a slower pace, they would reach the destination within two days at most.

In one of the caravans, Kreka sat with Nisa and her grandson, Kurt. Ursula, Yeter and Issik were also sharing the caravan together in the cramped space. Ursula held her grandson wrapped in a fur blanket in her lap. She tried her best to heal Issik and rid him of the illness that plagued him. While she was able to get rid of most of the horrible effects, he was still somewhat unresponsive at times and didn't speak much. He also had fever and chills from time to time.

She forbade Yeter to hold Issik and therefore that drove the Gokturk queen insane. She was constantly bickering with her mother in law and Ursula chose to ignore it and pay attention to her grandson instead. Being halfway into the journey, Yeter grew impatient being stuck in the wagon with these women.

She rubbed her forehead and felt sicker than ever from the constant rocking back and forth. She figured that riding a horse would be less painful than this. She closed her eyes and rests a hand over her belly. The child within her did not seem to care for the ride either and was in constant motion.

Yeter let out a loud groan. "Must he go over every single rock on this road!"

Ursula frowned at her and Kreka sighed deeply. Nisa didn't seem to be as bothered and Kurt kept to himself playing with a ball of twine. Kreka eyed the miserable queen opposite her. "If you want to stop and rest I can ask him to pull over," she suggested.

She ignored the khatun's gesture and Ursula adjusted the sleeping prince on her lap. "I do not wish this journey to be miserable for you,  _tatli kiz_. We can pull over and rest. We can catch up with everyone."

Yeter remained focused on the road outside the window and turned her body to the side so she couldn't see her mother in law. Ursula shared a worried glance with everyone else in the carriage.

Kreka scoffed. "This is ridiculous." She reached outside the window and slammed her palm on the side of the caravan to halt the driver. "We are stopping."

* * *

A couple of caravans behind them, held Farah, her three boys, Cera and Soran. Edemen talked for hours and hours about the new mini ship he was planning to build. He wanted to be just like his mother. Farah was far busier feeding and caring for her infant sons so Edemen had no choice but to talk to Cera and Soran.

Cera sighed heavily listening to her talkative nephew. Soran tried blocking the boy out but it was hopeless since they were stuck in a small space together for another day at least. But he had enough of listening to the prince.

"Hey Ede, your ship plan sounds nice but I think I'd like some peace and quiet for awhile," he interrupted the boy.

Edemen blinked his green eyes and Cera looked very thankful that Soran put a stop to his nonstop talking. "Fine, I'll just sit here in silence for the rest of the way." He pouted and crossed his arms.

"Thank god," muttered Soran.

While he wasn't related to Cera by blood, he felt like she was his sister and had a great bond with her. He'd say he had a better bond with her than with Arielle. Their bond was so great that he became overprotective of her and constantly watched what she was doing.

Cera was busy writing in her journal and Soran peered over her shoulder. She stopped writing and slowly turned her head and he smiled. She frowned and shut her journal and put it underneath her thigh. She noticed his nosy behavior and it was annoying lately.

"I saw a Thracian boy trying to talk to you," he mentioned and she rolled her eyes. "You know you aren't supposed to talk to boys."

She groaned and scooted to the furthest side of the bench and stared out the window at the flat plains.

"I'm just looking out for you," Soran said sadly.

She shoved a hand in his face, signaling she did not want to continue this discussion. He folded his arms and looked out the opposite window.

Farah smiled at the two step siblings and held Aman in her arms, hoping he'd fall asleep soon. Her other son, Aladar, was fast sleep in the bassinet and the rocking of the caravan didn't bother him thankfully. Her son's tiny but strong hand pulled on her dress and she grabbed his hand and pried his fingers off.

"Ede, can you hold him please?" she tried pawning off Aman onto him.

"No way. I held him for two hours already," he defied her.

"Edemen!" she snapped and he quickly turned around and held out his arms. She carefully placed Aman into his arms and fixed her dress, buttoning up the buttons that came loose from his forceful tugging.

The prince stared at his little brother's big hazel eyes gawking back at him. He set Aman on his lap and shook his head. "This trip sucks," he said and Aman gurgled and laughed. "Glad  _you're_  having a good time," he mused.

* * *

_Syracuse –Day Ten_

Xena whacked her wife's leg to wake her up. Gabrielle jumped and groggily rubbed her eyes and glared up at that tall wife of hers. "Good morning, sunshine," she said a bit too loudly for Gabrielle's liking.

"Go away…" she muttered and threw the blankets over her face.

"Who had too much wine last night? You did!" Xena laughed and her wife growled beneath the sheets. "Get up, sleepy. We have a lot of work to do. King Alaric came last night and we're going to work with him to take over Rome."

Gabrielle flung the sheets off and rose too quickly. The blood rushed to her head and she slapped a hand to her forehead. Moaning and groaning she laid back down and stared at the spinning ceiling. "I can't believe you actually…want to work with the Goths. You hate them."

Xena poured some water for her sickly wife. "Theodoric is dead and Ellac helped Alaric fight off the Visigoths. Anyone who fights them is not on my shit list." She knelt down and handed her the glass of water. "Drink this and get dressed."

She drank the much needed water and stared at her smug wife. "Did I…say anything embarrassing last night?"

"Nah," Xena stood and walked over to grab her weapons and cloak to face the morning winter winds. "Just that you wanted to have sex with Kreka."

Gabrielle choked on the water and coughed violently. She pats her chest with a clutched fist and inhaled sharply. "I said  _what_?!" she yelled in a strained voice. "Oh, I get it. That's just a joke. Ha-ha, very funny, Xena."

The commander turned with a twinkle in her eyes and her wife's face turned a ghostly white.

"Oh my god," she slapped her cheeks. "Xena, you know I didn't mean that. I would…I mean, I would never!"

Xena chuckled and slipped on her leather gloves. "I'm not a jealous woman, Gabrielle. You can have her if you want."

"Xena! Oh god…I'm never drinking wine again." She mumbled and reached for her cloak and pulled her arms through. "You aren't going to tell her, right?"

" _Oh_ ,  _Gabrielle_ ," she clicked her tongue against her cheek. "You bet I will." She put her kozak on her head and brushed her bangs inside the headdress then waltzed out, whistling. "Can't wait to see the look on dragon lady's face!" she called out as she heads out of the palace.

* * *

Alaric laid out a makeshift map of Italia on a table in the overgrown courtyard of the palace. He pointed to Ravenna. "Odoacer is spending his time vacationing there. He hasn't been in Rome for months according to my spies."

Xena rubbed her chin and Gabrielle slumped in the chair, hiding beneath her kozak veil. "So we should travel to Ravenna to attack him there. It will be unexpected and easy. Does he know you are in his territory?"

"Not to my knowledge. His men have grown lazy. His army was kicked out of Africa by the Vandal king but I'm sure you know that."

She nodded. "The Vandals are also in Persia working with Shah Hormizd. I don't know what those bastards are planning next."

"But our goal is to get rid of Odoacer. Once we have completed that goal, Rome will fall."

"Then Justinian will try to take it."

Alaric smiled wickedly. "I propose an idea. Once the emperor is killed, I will reign over Italia and claim it as Goth and Hun land. What do you say?"

Goths controlling Italia wasn't the first thing on her mind. She wanted Rome for herself but there was no way she could be in Pannonia and Rome at once. Justinian was bound to be more of a problem as time went on. She relented and leaned back in the chair, agreeing to his terms. Goths would have Italia as a conquered kingdom and the Huns will govern it from afar.

She turned to her miserable wife. "You hear that, Gabrielle? You'll be governor of Italia and the Hun Empire."

Gabrielle grumbled. "Mhm. I heard everything."

He chuckled. "Are you unwell?"

"Something like that."

Xena gripped the governor's hand and spoke loudly to annoy her, "She had too much wine last night. Didn't you?"

Gabrielle cringed and the throbbing in her head increased. "Dammit Xena…"

"You did this to yourself. Nobody told you to drink an entire bottle of wine." She said to further irritate the blonde. "We will meet up again in a few days and tell the armies that we are traveling to Ravenna to attack," she told the Goth king.

"Will we take your ships to the other side of Italia? It might be quicker if we do that instead of traveling on foot. Odoacer's men will be bound to spot us if both of our armies march through Rome to Ravenna."

She sighed and didn't wish to leave their ships docked at the port but she didn't want Odoacer to know they were coming either. "I will take my army by ship and you will take yours on foot. That means you'll leave sooner than us."

Alaric thought about the plan and nodded. "Alright. Within the month we will travel to Ravenna by land and sea. Hopefully nobody will know of your whereabouts here in Syracuse."

"If we are spotted, I am not too worried about it," she tells him with a smug grin.

He got up to leave to tell his lesser officers of the plan of the impending attack. Xena turned to her wife who was silent and reaping what she'd sewn from last night's celebration. Gabrielle caught the commander's sneer from the corner of her eye.

"You can stop looking at me like that now. I've learned my lesson. No parties until this all over." She rubbed her temples with her fingertips and groaned. "When is that going to be, by the way?"

"As soon as I see a sword driven through Odoacer."

* * *

_Mongolia_

Arielle and Bayan, now monarchs of a new tribe they created in Harran, pillaged the lower plains of Mongolia, close to China. Arielle reminded her husband that China was a friend and ally of her family's empire and they were not to be touched nor bothered. Mongolia was a land wedged in between the old Sabir Empire, Nezak Hun territory and the Song Empire.

Many of the tribes in Mongolia were not unlike the Hun tribes further west. They lived in yurts but they called them gers. Arielle recognized some of the same clothing in the tribes that Kreka wore. Although the khatun didn't share many similarities with the Mongolians except maybe her eyes and stick straight raven hair.

She mentioned to the Mongols of the Ashina tribe that was now known as Kidarites and thanks to her grandmother and stepfather, they were extinct, minus Bolgaris and the remainder of soldiers that were now in hers and Bayan's possession. The Chieftain of the lower tribe, Gansukh, was very familiar with the Ashina and Kreka's family who used to reign over the area.

Arielle found out more about her extended relatives living far from Pannonia than when she was surrounded by them all the time. Kreka's father used to be Chieftain of the Zubu region where the Ashina lived. Arielle didn't hear much about Kreka's life and was very interested to hear about her mother, Kiral Khatun.

Gansukh sat with Bayan, Arielle and Ku inside his large ger, telling them about the old Ashina. "Kiral Khatun was in charge of east Zubu and her husband, Okati, was in the charge of the west." He paused for a moment. "I did not care for Kiral."

Arielle smiled. "Did you know Kreka Khatun?" she asks. The man looked ancient and he must be at least thirty or more years older than Kreka and the other 'elders' in Pannonia.

"I watched her grow up. Very smart young girl," he said with a constant bob of his head. "I was there when Attila came here to persuade Oktai to surrender to him. He brought his commander with him."

Bayan raised his eyebrow and Arielle interjected, "Xena?" she clarified.

"Yes!" Gansukh wagged his finger. "They did not stay long," he waved his hand, remembering the memory perfectly. "Maybe a lunar cycle or two. Oktai gave Kreka's hand in marriage to Attila and they left for Pannonia. I recall Kiral Khatun was furious and even tried to kill Attila but that was ruled out as a rumor. I wouldn't have put it past her. She was a vicious viper of a woman."

One of the Chieftain's servants came into the ger and whispered in his ear. Gansukh nodded and shooed him away then smiled at his guests. "I have some business outside of the camp. Please, stay. Qara will bring you tea or anything you desire," he spoke of the maiden who tended to the women of the camp.

Arielle nodded and turned to Ku, her maid, with a big grin. They laced their fingers together and Bayan put a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Your family is everywhere. It is as if we cannot escape them!" he joked.

"What can I say? We are popular."

Bayan picked at the tray of sweets and picked up a powdery doughy pastry. He studied it for awhile then took a small bite of it and smiled at Arielle. "I like these people. They are very hospitable and kind. Do you think Gansukh will agree to join our tribe?"

Arielle shrugged. "Maybe, but we need to connect our goal to Pannonia."

He chewed slowly and did not like the sound of that. The entire point of being in charge of a new tribe was to forget about Pannonia. "Why?"

"Because Pannonia is the heartland of my people, Bayan. And it will do you good not to mention your brother while we're here. I have a direct connection to Kreka. That will persuade the Chieftain to be on our side."

She thought she didn't pay attention to Gabrielle's lessons but it looked like some of the studying and yelling was buried deep in her subconscious. This Mongolian tribe was not an enemy but they could quickly become one. The trick was to use something they had in common to bring the two people closer and perhaps become allies in the near future.

* * *

Bayan made it a point to get to know all of the men in the tribe while he was staying here. He and Arielle were welcomed into the tribe but did not mention they completely destroyed the other tribes south of this one. When they were on the road on a mission, Bayan and Arielle's relationship changed drastically. They were very close for years and when they got married in Harran months ago, they were unable to keep their hands off one another.

Now, the two could hardly agree on anything. Arielle wanted to do things her own way and she was very set in her ways. All of her training to be queen had been put to good use finally. She realized how much she took her grandmother and Gabrielle for granted over the years. The two taught her a lot and all she did was behave like a brat and complain about her studies. She knew now that the training was very necessary and it was obvious Bayan did not have the same training she did.

Arielle voiced her problems to Ku a lot of the time. She enjoyed Ku's company when she and Bayan got into an argument. Ku was a very good listener and she was very nonjudgmental. Arielle did have friends in Pannonia but they could never understand her problems. She also had plenty of women to talk to but they were much older than her and she hated their unsolicited advice but she understood now that they were all just trying to help her, especially her mother.

The two sat on the floor of the ger they lived in for the last month or so. Arielle had decided to tattoo her skin for event that happened in her life. Though the process was painful, it was therapeutic to her. Ku had more skills than cleaning and cooking, she also inked the queen's arms and back for her.

She dipped the sharp needle in the permanent ink and dotted Arielle's shoulder blade with sharps jabs. Arielle winced and gripped a pillow during the session. "If the pain is too great, I would like to offer you some opium."

Arielle snorted at the offer. "Thanks but no thanks. I don't like opium." She decided to endure the pain instead.

Ku smiled, "it is not for everyone."

"My mother uses opium to escape her problems yet she berates my father for growing it and stepfather for smoking it from time to time. My grandmother says she hates opium and hashish but I know for a fact she's smoked both in her life several times. They're both hypocrites."

Ku cleaned the needle and dipped it into the ink well again to finish the tribal design on Arielle's back. "Perhaps they do not want you to follow their mistakes but they don't know how to prevent their own mistakes from repeating."

Arielle hadn't thought of it before in that way and she creased her thick eyebrows together. "Maybe."

"May I ask what this marking symbolizes?"

She smiled sadly and ran her fingers along her left arm which was almost completely covered in black ink. "It's for someone that I didn't get a chance to know." She explained vaguely and Ku blotted her red irritated skin with linen.

On her left shoulder blade was a symbol for everlasting life, dedicated to her deceased cousin, Giselle, who died in that horrible fire a decade ago. And now on her right shoulder blade that Ku was currently inking, was a similar symbol for the child she carried within her for those two short months.

Ku wiped off the excess ink and told the queen the tattoo was finished. Arielle quickly ran over to the full length mirror and looked over her shoulder at the symbol and smiled with watery eyes. "Bu güzel," she muttered.

"What does this mean?" asked the Harran maid.

"It's beautiful. Thank you," she reached over and hugged Ku tightly.

* * *

_Balaam_

Zolten rode back to the borders where Ana and Ellac were stationed. Navaz and Oran were further inland closer to the Adame in case they had another ambush in the Gokturk Mountains. "I spotted Erzibet and Bolgaris near the border of Persia. They are setting up a legion to come over here," he reported.

Anastasia sighed and glared at the mountains ahead of her. She hated Persians, except for Fairuza. She was the kindest woman she'd ever known and possibly the only Persian she liked. She didn't care for Erzibet that much when she lived in Pannonia, engaged to her son for awhile. That girl was very secretive and obviously had a vengeful side to her.

She also hated that her daughter was sleeping with the enemy so to speak. Bayan wasn't around his brother so she had hope that Arielle steered him away. She'd probably never know the truth as long as her daughter remained estranged.

"We will wait for them to come," she answered the general.

Ellac trotted around nervously and kept his eyes on the Persian mountains. "I feel unprepared for this war." He confides in his wife.

She was not used to him showing weakness around her and he did dare emit fear when it came to war. She wondered what other fears he had –dying in battle was a great honor. She hoped it didn't have to come to that. She lost him once and didn't want to feel that numbness and emptiness in her heart again.

"Persians are not like Romans. They will attack in waves. Hormizd will not make an appearance until half his men are down. It is up to us to make sure they do not come inland and destroy Balaam. Navaz has endured much since Boareks ravaged his home. He has yet to rebuild the kingdom to its full potential even still."

There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of the king's gut and he feared that the Persians and Vandals were going to come across the border. He and Ana could only do so much to stop them. They were only two people. How can two people stop an entire army of thousands?

"Anastasia," he began in a solemn voice, "whatever happens here, I told Navaz to take care of you and Cera."

She crinkled her eyebrows and gripped his hand tightly. "A king should not talk about his death. That's just bad luck," she tried to make light of the situation to which he cracked a smile.

"I'm serious."

"As am I," she squeezed his hand. "I am not afraid of death, Ellac. I've learned to accept it when I became queen. I thought Boareks was going to kill me and she almost did but I was prepared for it. I think that's why my mother is so calm in battle. She knows that death is a possibility."

"So I should be taking life lessons from your mother now?" he jested.

She chuckled. "My mother has always been hard on you, Ellac but she loves you. She'd die for you."

Zolten returned from talking with Navaz and Oran. He invaded their personal space and they dropped their hands and focused on the mountains along the border. "King Navaz wants to know if you want to use Boareks' left over canons."

Anastasia raised her eyebrow and shared a smug grin with her husband. "We didn't know that was an option."

"Shall I tell him that you want to utilize them?" asked the general.

Ellac nodded for both of them. "Yes, bring them to the border."

Anastasia rubbed her gloves together and warmed her cheeks from the harsh winter winds. "We should wait to use the canons. I want to surprise them when they come in the third wave."

"And this is why I married you."

"I thought you married me because you loved me?" she teased him.

He shrugged a shoulder. "That's just a plus."

* * *

_Matra Hills, Pannonia_

Over a month after the trip to the northern part of the state, yurts were set up for the women in the tribe upon arrival. Ebnedzar and the men of the tribe came but a week after the women. Ernak was in charge of the construction of the new camp and able men were helping build several water wells around the encampment as well as digging for a water source to pull in water from the river for the bathhouses they had to build.

A large yurt was set up in the front entrance of the camp for all the royal women and children of the clan. They'd have to live together until other yurts were built for their separate families. The yurt was divided into sections by curtains inside. Each family had their individual space but nobody seemed to have enough privacy.

Farah and her sons were in one quarter, Kreka, Nisa and Kurt in another, Ursula, Yeter, Issik, Talat and Tolan were in another. Cera, Soran and Safiya shared the back of the fourth quarter. Although the living arrangement was temporary, the women were starting to get on each other's nerves living in such a close-knit space.

Since the men were doing the hard labor of building and planting crops for the spring, Farah took it upon herself to design the Adame for the entire family. She didn't know if she was ever going to go back to Banat and by the looks of it, this was her home for now. She was overwhelmed with her twin boys as they discovered they could crawl. They found the yurt very interesting and constantly snooped into other quarters.

Edemen used to be such a big help to her but he was preoccupied with his cousins and played with them outside in the snow most days. While Farah remained in her room, she tried to focus on the design of the wooden palace and even her chambermaids could barely keep up with the mobile mischievous babies.

Kreka knelt over a pot and ladled soup she made for Nisa into a bowl. She walked over to her daughter in law and sat down opposite her. "I'm sorry I can't offer you any rice. We won't have any until the spring."

Nisa nodded and nursed the hot soup in her palms. Sharing a yurt with all the women wasn't as terrible as she thought it'd be but she missed being around Ernak. She understood that he was very busy and had to work all day and he wasn't allowed in the women's yurt either. She felt lucky that her pregnancy wasn't very hard on her but she couldn't say the same for Yeter in the adjacent room. The sound of retching from next door sometimes kept Nisa awake late at night.

She sipped the soup and stared at the khatun. "Yeter is sick every morning and evening. Is that normal?"

Kreka smiled. "It is not unusual. Anastasia was the same way when she carried Arielle. Be grateful that your child has been kind to you." She laid a hand on Nisa's knee then encouraged her to finish the soup.

One of the twin boys crawled into the room with a big smile on his face. The khatun raised her eyebrow and grabbed the boy and his hazel eyes grew twice their size. "Hello there," she said sweetly and he gave her a big toothless gurgling laugh.

Farah ran in with ink stained hands and growled. Kreka held the baby on her hip and Farah marched over and briefly smiled at Nisa. "I'm sorry. I'm losing track of him. I'm trying to work. I can't do three things at once!"

Kreka smoothed out the boy's dark hair and eyed the Banat queen's tired sunken eyes. "I can watch him for you. Where's the other one? Nisa and I will look after them while you work."

Farah felt a sense of relief come over her. "Really?"

"It's not like we're going anywhere."

"This is fantastic! Let me go get Aman!" she ran back into her section of the yurt to retrieve her other son.

Nisa gawked at the baby in the khatun's arms and felt a bit apprehensive watching two babies at once. She didn't really know if Kreka's volunteering to babysit was the best idea.

* * *

Yeter lay on a floor bed, trying to get comfortable for the last half hour. Ursula stayed close by, continuing to keep an eye on her and Issik equally. The boy still had not recovered from the illness and had fainting spells sometimes and had bouts of forgetfulness.

The shamaness made tea for the ill Gokturk queen and sat on the floor beside her. "Yeter, I want you to drink this."

"No, I'm just going to vomit everywhere again," she moaned and waved her hand to dismiss her mother in law.

Ursula frowned. "It will make you feel better."

"No it won't!"

Issik walked into the room, cuddling a pillow against his chest. "Mother," he said in a weak voice.

Yeter sat up immediately and smiled. She stretched out her arms and he walked over and she settled him down in her lap and wrapped an arm around his tiny body. Her hand roamed his pale cheeks and he whined pushing his face away from his mother's prying hands.

"When can I go outside and play?"

"When you're feeling better."

He grimaced up at his mother. "But I am better!" he pouted and folded his arms. "I want father to come here. Is he coming here?"

Yeter shared a worried glance with Ursula who had no answers for the boy. "I don't know." As much as she didn't care for Oran all that much, she actually wanted him here. "We can write him." She said and his mood lightened instantly.

* * *

_Syracuse –Day 35_

Alaric took his most of his army to Ravenna two weeks ahead of the Huns. Traveling by foot was going to take significantly longer than traveling by ship. Xena was left with the men she had from the beginning of the mission in Constantinople and the men that Alaric left behind which wasn't that much.

In the middle of loading the ships to sail across the small stretch of ocean to upper Italia, Gabrielle was in charge of cargo while Xena was of course, ordering the soldiers around. Or more like yelling at them but that was the usual with her.

Gabrielle counted the barrels and chests that were being loaded onto the ships and she turned around at the rustling of waves behind her. She walked off and tried to see through the morning fog and she hoped her eyes deceived her, but there were ships sailing towards the port. They didn't look like Goth ships and she was sure that the Goths didn't have any ships because their territories were landlocked.

The leading ship had a huge burgundy flag with a golden symbol that appeared to be some sort of cross mixed with a flower. Gabrielle ran over to her wife and scurried up the ramp to the ship's deck. "Xena!"

The commander, in a foul mood, spun around with a scowl. "What is it now?"

"There are ships heading towards us." She pointed to the ocean.

Xena walked over to the bow of the docked ship and squint her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the large flag flailing in the ocean breeze. She slammed her fist on the railing. This was going to ruin all of her plans and Alaric was already on his way to Ravenna. They had two options; fight or flight.

She wasn't sure which option would be better. "Those ships belong to Vandals."

Gabrielle's heart raced. "Vandals? What are we going to do? Fight them or leave?"

"They already know we are here. We could fight them off because if we don't they will dock in Dalmatia and invade."

"Then we will be leaving the Goths to fend for themselves against the Romans," said Gabrielle. "Xena, we are unprepared for a battle with the Vandals. We've lost enough men and the Vandals are vicious. Who knows how many are aboard on those ships?"

She was well aware of how this could turn out but she had a strong feeling that Alaric and the Goth army could handle Odoacer's men if it came to that. "By the time we are ready to sail they will have docked already."

Gabrielle saw that look in her wife's eyes and this was not to be discussed further. "Say no more," she told her with a grin. She took off, running down the ramp and waved her hands at the men loading the ships of the packed weapons.

"Unload the ships!" she yelled. "We are staying to fight the Vandals!" she said to the soldiers and they gawked at the Vandal ships nearing the port. "We have two hours at most to unload the weapons." She placed her hands on her hips. "What are you waiting for?! Do as I say!"

The men hurried and began unloading the ships by passing the chests downward in reverse order. Xena smiled and the governor looked up at her with a bright beaming face and raised her arm with a thumbs-up. Xena rolled her eyes and turned around to yell at the recruits to take the weapons out of the belly of the ship and prepare to fight.


	49. Chapter 49

**I haven't been updating a lot because I had two exams this week. Trust me; I'd rather do this than math. Anyway, the entire point of this series was to accomplish Attila's goal: ridding the world of the Roman Empire. Here we are, 30 years later and 3 stories later lol. Enjoy.**

Chapter 49 – _Fall of Rome_

_Syracuse –Day 36_

So much bloodshed. Hours after the Vandals docked in Syracuse the fighting was nonstop and Gabrielle was right, these people were far more brutal than the Visigoths ever were. The time that Ana and Ellac were held captive by the Vandal king and queen at that time was not to be taken lightly. It was perhaps the only time the Visigoths and Huns worked together. Now here they were: Huns and Goths again, working together but under different circumstances.

King Guthamund was aboard one of the ships and he was first to step foot on land to attack. With what little Goth soldiers left in Syracuse perished instantly against the Vandal king's orders. As Xena promised not to be in the middle of the fight, she watched from afar as her men were being slaughtered one by one. She made only brief eye contact with Guthamund and he recognized her instantly.

With a point of his blade at her, she knew he was going to come for her last. He had one advantage; his age. He was considerably younger than her, faster than her, and more limber than her. She couldn't shake the feeling of eminent fear coursing through her veins when she saw his dark eyes staring at her from below.

Gabrielle tried her best to fend off the Vandals but ended up retreating to the outskirts of the city to join Xena. Her arms filled with cuts and bruises didn't seem to bother her. She was more concerned for the men who were dying after hours and hours of constant warring.

"Xena, we are getting murdered out there. I'm starting to think we should have left when we had the chance."

The commander narrowed her eyes, sitting on her horse, at the battle miles away. "We do not run from a fight, Gabrielle."

"Maybe you should reconsider that courageous notion. We need to leave or we will have no men left to help Alaric fight Odoacer's army in Ravenna."

She turned slowly, glaring at her wife. "We are not outnumbered. Our men are tired. The Vandals are not tired in the least and that's why we are losing. This has nothing to do with strength. This is a waste of time." She kicked her horse and rode into the field.

Gabrielle's eyes grew in fear."Honestly, I just don't understand you sometimes," she mumbled. She ran for her horse tied to a tree and quickly went to follow after her stubborn wife.

Xena pulled up to one of the vacant Vandal ships at the dock and spotted her brother trying to fight off three men at once. She drew the dagger within her boot and threw it at one of the attackers. Ditron spun around and stabbed the other two men. His eyes traveled around looking for the interference and smiled at his sister.

She dismounted her steed and ran up the ramp of the Vandal ship. She ran down the stairs leading to the belly of the ship looking for something that could help them stop this unnecessary battle. When she came to the quarters beneath the deck she couldn't be more surprised.

Gabrielle followed her inside, ready to berate her. "Xena! What the hell are you –" she paused and her mouth gapes in shock. "My god."

There were over a hundred Berbers stashed in the belly of the ship huddled together like sardines. They were chained together by the wrist and gagged at the mouth. There were women, some children but a lot of men.

"Kahina's tribe," said Xena. She shook her head and pulled out her sword. The Berber people cowered in fear and she put up a hand to calm them. She slashed the blade through the iron chains of one group of people. They quickly took the cloth from their mouths and spoke to one another furiously.

Gabrielle pulled out her sword and began to cut everyone else free as fast as she could. She grabbed a man's shoulder. "Where is your queen?" she asked and he confusedly stared at her. "You can't understand me," she sighed.

Xena grabbed the women off the floor and pointed to the staircase. She tried to hurry them but some refused to leave, possibly due to fear of the Vandals outside. "Gabrielle, I want you to take everyone to one of our ships."

"They can't understand us, Xena. How am I supposed to do that with the Vandals surrounding every inch of land?"

"Just do it!" she ordered.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and ran up the stairs, waving her hand, signaling the Berbers to follow. They seemed to understand somewhat and followed their guide. Xena gathered everyone and searched the rest of the ship to see if Kahina was here, but there was no sign of her whatsoever.

While Gabrielle was busy escorting the Berbers out, she scurried around the belly of the ship and looked through the barrels. No luck when she found food and water supplies. There was a barrel of raw meat and she cringed at the smell and quickly slammed the lid shut. Looking further into what appeared to be Guthamund's quarters she found a few bottles of oil, probably used for cooking their food during their travels.

A malicious smile formed on her lips and exited the room and poured the vials of oil onto the wooden floors. She grabbed an unlit torch off one of the poles and tore off some wood from the barrels and began rubbing them together to create friction and fire hopefully. She rubbed the sticks together vigorously until her palms turned bright red.

King Guthamund ran down the stairs and smiled. "Hun commander!"

She spun around and paid him no attention. She kept rubbing the wood together and finally got a spark and lit the oil fused torch. She stood and turned around with the flaming torch. "Don't come any closer, Vandal king. I've poured oil on this floor and all it takes is just one ember and… _poof_ ," she widened her wily eyes as did her smile.

Guthamund raised his eyebrow. "You would kill us both?"

"No, just you," she arrogantly said.

He took a step closer, holding his blade tightly and she took a step backward, lifting the torch in the air. He laughed nervously. "You're bluffing."

"You don't know me very well. I don't bluff." She lowered the torch closer to the oil soaked floor. "So, was the previous Vandal king your father? I am not familiar with your lineage," she tries to make conversation.

Guthamund growled and ran towards her. She threw the torch to the back of the ship and instantly it joined with oil and wild flames rose feet in air. He panicked only for a moment but swung his sword at her to which she ducked and it sliced through the column keeping the upper and lower deck afloat. Part of the ceiling caved in and the two dispersed.

Xena exhaled heavily and made her way towards the stairs. He snarled and jumped over the wreckage and stomped on her heavy black cape and she gasped. She reached for the clasps and unhooked her cape from her shoulder pads and the cape fell to the floor then she ran up the stairs, trying to escape the smoke filled undergrounds.

"No! If I am to die, you are too!" he yelled and grabbed her long hair and flung her back down the stairs. She landed on her back and groaned. Her eyes fixated on the roaring fire now spreading rapidly throughout the ship.

Her head began to throb and her vision blurred. She looked above her and Guthamund's sword was about to thrust into her. She smashed her gloved hands against either side of the blade, drawing blood from her palms. She kicked him off balance and threw him over her head.

Coughing violently, she crawled across the floor towards the stairs.

* * *

Gabrielle rushed the Berbers onto the ship across the docks and looked back at the Vandal ship which was now engulfed in flames. She tried not to worry about her wife and kept her word to make sure that Kahina's people were safe.

"Go, go!" she hurried them along but kept her eyes focused on the burning ship, hoping that Xena would come out at any second. "Hurry!" she yelled frantically and finally the last few people boarded the ship.

She ran down the ramp and waved her hand at Ditron who just killed another Vandal attacking. "Ditron! Watch this ship!" she said.

He frowned and eyed their ship filled with unfamiliar people. "Why?" he yelled out.

"Don't argue with me!" she demanded and ran to the burning Vandal ship.

When she was aboard the Vandal ship she saw the black smoke emitting from the belly of the ship. She covered her mouth with the kozak veil and descended down the stairs only to be surrounded by fire. She waved the smoke from her face and searched for her wife.

"Xena!" she called out and went into a coughing fit.

She ran around the flaming wreckage and saw black boots sticking out from underneath a pile of debris. Her heart sank and ran over to pull the scalding hot debris off and burned her palms in the process. She hissed and kicked the wooden planks and continued coughing. When she finally removed the debris she found the Vandal king dead, bleeding out from his chest and gut.

Panicking, she looked around and saw Xena lying on her side a few feet away. "Xena!" she ran over and rolled her wife over and gasped. She slapped her soot covered cheeks. She placed her ear against the commander's chest and heard a subtle heart beat. Smiling, she grabbed Xena by her arms and dragged her across the floor and up the stairs.

She coughed and struggled to pull her wife's deadweight out of the ship. She called out for help and Badr ran up the ramp and scooped up Xena into his arms and ran down the ramp before the entire ship collapsed into the sea.

Gabrielle covered her head from the flying debris and ran behind Badr.

* * *

_Syracuse –Day 37_

Despite the loss of their king, the Vandals continued to fight but it only lasted a few hours into the next day until they finally gave up and retreated, taking their ships to sail back to Africa. Guthamund's body was not recovered from the wreckage and the flags were taken down from their ships by Hun soldiers.

Ditron was kind enough to treat the burns on Gabrielle's hands while the wounded and deceased were gathered to be brought on the ship or burned on Syracuse soil. Aboard one of the ships Gabrielle stayed beside her wife, waiting for her to awake.

Xena's eyes fluttered open and she took in a raspy inhale and coughed. She sat up slowly and put a hand to her congested chest. She exhaled slowly and saw emerald eyes upon her then noticed her wife's bandaged hands.

"What happened to your hands?"

The governor shrugged. "I burned them trying to save you. Xena, if I knew you were going to burn that ship I would've never left."

"Then…good for you for following orders," she retorted bitterly and her blonde wife frowned. "You could have died!" she yelled. Then she realized that she may have been a bit unforgiving for her life being saved by her loved one. "Thank you," she says softly.

"As if I was going to let you die!" she playfully nudged her wife's leg. "The Vandals retreated by ship. We are victorious once again," she says happily. "I…wanted to wait until you woke up so I could tell the men we can sail to Northern Italia."

Xena nodded tiredly and stared at her blackened armor and hands. "When this…is all over I am retiring as commander."

Gabrielle cocked her head to the side and let out a chuckle. "Xena, you've tried that before. It didn't work."

"I mean it this time, Gabrielle. I can't do this anymore. Someone else can be commander. I'm done!" she waved her hands across her neck and her wife kept smiling. "This is not a joke."

"Never said it was but I know you, Xena. You'll be itching to have your job back. Besides, who would want your position?"

"I don't know, perhaps Csaba? Definitely not Arielle." She groaned thinking of that girl. "Anyway, Ravenna is our last stop and then we can go home."

Gabrielle nods her head slowly and scoots along the edge of the bed. "And…if we are not victorious in Ravenna?"

The commander smirked. "Oh…we will be. I'll stay as long as possible until Odoacer is dead. We didn't come all this way to lose."

"You will stop at nothing, will you?"

"You want him dead too," mocked Xena. "Were you…able to get one of the Berbers to translate something?"

Gabrielle regretfully shook her head. "With the way Guthamund kept them locked in the ship like that, I don't think Kahina is alive."

* * *

_Balaam_

Anastasia and Ellac manned the border between Balaam and old Persia but they were growing tired and wary of the harsh winter winds. There were men lined along the border, mostly Gokturk soldiers and a few of Navaz's men. Oran and Navaz remained inland and had the entire Adame guarded heavily.

Days passed and they had yet to sleep. They took turns watching the Persians organizing their first fleet but now, early in the morning they were both awake. Ellac was sleeping during Ana's shift and was asked to come outside because there had been a new development since his late shift last night and all afternoon yesterday.

He trotted over to his wife whose hair, coat and fur headdress was covered in snow. She nudged her head to the Persian side and he gawked at the wall they constructed out of snow. He also saw Erzibet, resilient as ever, riding along in front of the manmade wall of snow.

"What the hell are they doing?" he whispered.

"I don't know," she answered and warmed her face with her fur gloves. "Erzibet is going behind the wall now."

Ellac tapped his fingers on his knee impatiently and keenly watched the Persians disappear behind the snow bank. They both waited in silence and he raised his hand to the Gokturk soldiers along the border and they pulled out their swords and hunkered down.

"It's too quiet," she hissed.

Something caught his attention and he put a finger to his lips. "You hear that…"

"What?" she looked outward and tried to listen intently but heard nothing but the winds grazing against her face and through her hair.

The creaking sound echoed in the mountains and Ellac's ears perked at the subtle whistling noise. "Get down!" he yelled. Meanwhile his wife was confused and then saw a rain of black arrows fill the sky, hurdling over the wall of snow and onto their side of the border.

All of the men dropped to the snow and buried their bodies as deep as possible. Without hesitation Ellac pushed Ana off her horse and she rolled onto the snow and an arrow grazed her fur hat. She ducked down and one of the soldiers put his shield over her. She turned her head and felt Ellac's hot breath against her cheek. He smiled at her and her eyes flickered and she pushed her cheek into the snow for protection.

Behind the wall, Erzibet walked along her cousin's army of archers. They were lying on their backs with their boots strapped to their long bows and shooting three to four arrows at a time. "Again!" she yelled. The archers loaded their bows and pulled the strings tautly with all of their upper body strength.

Another wave of arrows rained over the border and cries of Hun soldiers gave Erzibet the satisfaction she needed. She poked her head over the wall and could see Anastasia hunkered down in the snow with her husband by her side.

There were a group of Persians wearing all white and had their faces painted blue. She pushed the group forward and they dropped into the snow and crawled through the thick snow to the border.

Anastasia lifted her head for a brief moment and saw the snow moving and narrowed her eyes. She slapped Ellac's hand. "There are soldiers in the snow!"

His eyes grazed the snow and he too saw what she did. He growled, "That crazy bitch. You need to get out of here."

"I am not leaving."

"Anastasia!"

"No!" she grabbed his wrist. "We do this together or we don't do it at all."

He sighed and eyed the Persians crawling closer and closer to them. "Alright. What do we do first? Attack full force or run?"

She smiled, "we never run from our problems, Ellac." She pulled out her sword at her hip and stood up and ran across the border then drove the blade into the first soldier she laid her eyes on. Ellac rolled his eyes and ordered the Gokturks to follow her lead. He too stood up and stayed back, ordering the soldiers to attack. He saw Balash and Erzibet appear from behind the wall and then a line of Persians appeared on horseback from behind the hill.

"Fuck," he whispered. " _Anastasia_!"

He grabbed her attention and she lifts her head after she stabbed another white Persian in the snow. Her jaw dropped when she saw the first wave of Persians appear out of nowhere. She yanked her sword out of the fallen Persian and ran back the other way towards Balaam's borders.

She grabbed his hand and then head for his horse at the tent. She climbed aboard and he quickly followed. "The horn, where is it?!" she panicked and he rummaged through the saddlebag and pulled it out. "Great, sound it!" she took hold of the reins and furiously rode towards Navaz.

He almost fell off the back of the horse and wrapped an arm around her waist then blew the goat horn to alarm everyone in Balaam to prepare for Hormizd's invasion.

Oran rose from the steps of the Adame and Navaz ran outside. "They sound the horn too early. Are the Persians really coming over here?" he asked the king.

Navaz stepped in front of Oran and saw Ana and Ellac riding towards them and a horde of Persians trailing over the border, fighting with Gokturks. The fear of having his land once again destroyed was devastating. He barely recovered from Boareks' invasion and that was only five years ago. Now the Sassan family was here yet again as if they rose from the grave.

"So it seems. Prepare the men."

* * *

_Matra Hills, Pannonia_

Kreka took a break from sewing and she stood over a hot pot, stirring the soup with a long wooden spoon. Kurt entered the yurt from playing with Edemen and Ebnedzar's teenage boys. He was covered in snow and flung his coat onto a chair and waltzed over to his grandmother.

"Grandma khatun, would you like to see my sword I made?" he asked nicely and held up the wooden sword he carved himself.

She held a hand over her chest and felt the same heaviness she felt a couple of weeks ago but thought nothing of it until now. She could barely breathe and swallow soft foods or water even. She ignored it before but now she could not, although she kept a straight face for Ernak's son. She turned around and smiled weakly at his wooden sword.

"It's very nice  _tatli cocuk_."

He sat down on a pile of pillows, admiring his work. "It is, isn't it? I want to be a blacksmith. I could make all the army's weapons! Father says it's a good idea. What do you think?"

She went into a coughing fit and wrapped her hand around her throat. Stepping away from the soup, she cast herself away from the prince. Kurt jumped up and set his sword aside, concerned for her. He grabbed her arm and she gently pushed him away while she kept coughing violently.

Kreka put her hand over her mouth and finally the congestion in her lungs subsided and she pulled her hand away from her lips. Saliva dripped from her mouth and there was a pool of blood in her palm.

"Are you alright?" he asked and then saw blood on her hand and dripping from her mouth. He gasped. "Mom!" he ran out of the yurt to go find Nisa.

Nisa rushed inside the yurt and saw her mother in law in an almost comatose state, gaping at her hand. She dropped the basket of linen and ran to aid the khatun. Wrapping her arm around Kreka's slender frame she cleaned the blood off her hand with the bottom of her dress.

"Go get Ursula!" she told Kurt. He nodded and hurried into the adjoining yurt. She led the khatun to a bed and gently set her on the floor. "I knew there was something wrong with you. I should go get Ernak."

Kreka grabbed Nisa by the arm. "No!" she yelled in a hoarse voice. "You will say nothing to him."

"But you are ill! He will want to know."

Ursula came into the room dressed in black robes and veil to cover her hair. She was accompanied by young Kurt and she frowned at Kreka's weakened state. "Nisa, leave this room. You and Kurt will stay with Yeter and Issik."

Nisa was reluctant to leave her side and even Kurt was unwilling to abide by the shamaness' rules.

"I will look after the khatun. Leave,  _now_." She pointed to the adjoining room through the curtains.

* * *

_Ravenna –Day 5_

It was easy for Alaric and his army to invade Ravenna. He was right. Odoacer's men had grown lazy and they were not expecting an attack at all. Only three days in and Alaric's men were still fighting off Romans. Odoacer was kept safe inside that little getaway palace of his and Alaric desperately wanted to get inside to kill the emperor.

He stood in the countryside of Ravenna watching the Romans and his men slaughter each other. He turned around at the sound of horse hooves and boots marching behind him. A smile graced his lips when he finally saw the Huns arrive to save him from his demise. He began to think that Xena and her army abandoned him.

Xena walked over to the Goth king with Gabrielle by her side. "You were supposed to be here three days ago," he said to them.

Gabrielle folded her arms and looked over Alaric's shoulder at the battle commencing. "We had a little problem. Vandals came to Syracuse and Xena killed their king."

He nodded and gave his thanks to the commander. "Impressive. One less bastard to deal with."

"Plenty of time to catch up later," Xena rudely interrupted. "Where is Odoacer?" she pulled out her sword and glared at the field.

He pointed to the palace. "He's hiding out in there. I haven't been able to get inside because his men keep attacking mine. He's probably shitting himself right about now," he chuckled.

"I'll raid the palace with you. Gabrielle can be in charge of the siege outside." She grabbed Alaric by the arm and started to head for the palace through a private road.

The governor ran in front of her wife and the Goth. "Excuse me; I am not letting you leave my sight again! We cut it a little too close back in Syracuse. We do this together, remember?"

She groaned. "Fine." She turned and whistled to get her brother's attention. Ditron ran over with eagerness. She hated to do this and she was probably going to kick herself for it later. "Ditron, I want you to do something for me and don't mess it up."

"Yes ma'am!" he saluted, knowing that'd get on her nerves.

She held in her horrid response that was about to spew from her mouth. "I'm going with Alaric and Gabrielle to Odoacer's palace. I want you…" she paused, "I want you…I want you to be in charge of the army during my absence."

His eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? I get to be commander?"

"Just this once!" she snatched him by his collar and brought him close. "I swear to god if you get more than half my men killed I will tie you up to a tree and –"

" _Xena_ …" Gabrielle muttered and her wife turned to her with menacing eyes. She cringed in disgust and Xena let go of her little brother.

He clasped his sister's shoulder. "Hey don't worry, Xena! You can count on me. I won't let you down. I swear!" he promised and then kissed her cheek and ran off to tell the men about her plan.

She growled and wiped her cheek. "God damn," she grumbled. "Let's go rid the world of this bastard before anything else unexpected happens," she sarcastically said and marched onward.

Alaric drew his blade and snickered. "Is she always this angry?" he whispered to the governor.

"She really hates Odoacer," she told him. "He used to be Attila's governor. She's been looking forward to this moment for years."

* * *

Odoacer paced nervously in his chambers and kept looking out the window. Only this time he looked outside and saw Huns invading his area. "Dear God, have mercy on my soul," he whispered and made the sign of the cross over his shoulders then kissed his thumb. He backed away from the window and he only had his guards around all the exits of the room to protect him.

He heard rustling and iron clashing outside his chambers. The fear in his body increased and adrenaline rushed through his veins. He further tried to back away from all the doors and into a wall at the back of his chambers.

Loud banging from outside the doors alarmed him and he took one of his soldiers' swords and held it with both hands, glaring at the door.

" _Odoacer_!"

His eyes widened at the most familiar voice. He hated that voice and it was coming for him just like it came for Zeno.

" _Open the door, Odoacer_!" Xena yelled from the other side of the doors.

"Fuck you, Xena!" he spat.

" _Yes, it's very nice to see you again. Open this door_!" she kicked the door and the emperor's sweat dripped down his face.  _"I've killed all your men outside. Nobody is coming to save you so open the door and fight like a man,"_ she took a long pause, " _or don't. Fight like the worm you've always been."_

He heard her snickering softly. He turned when he heard a sword shredding through the wooden doors on the left side of the chambers. Alaric kicked through the doors and ran inside immediately stabbing the guards who were ready to attack him. He fought all six Romans and killed them with clean swipes.

"Sorry excuse for soldiers," the Goth king said.

Odoacer gasped and tried to run for the nearest window and Alaric charged at him and drove his sword into the emperor's spine from behind. He grabbed his shoulder and forced the blade in further, exiting Odoacer's thorax.

Xena and Gabrielle ran inside through the broken doors and their jaws dropped when Alaric threw the emperor's body onto the floor. Xena was more than annoyed than it was not her blade that struck the Hun emperor but she was glad to see him dead. She waltzed over to the dying emperor and spat in his face. Odoacer breathed sporadically and he put a hand over his wound. He took his last breath and his eyes gaped at the ceiling in macabre daze.

Gabrielle leaned over the dead emperor and kicked his leg. "I can't believe he's really dead."

The commander slapped Alaric's arm. "I wanted to kill him!"

The Goth king chuckled and backed away. "I thought we were working together? Who cares who killed him." He walked over to the flag hanging on the wall. He ripped it down and handed it to the furious commander. "All yours, commander."

She raised her eyebrow and held the Roman flag in her hands and smiled deviously then ran to the nearest window.

* * *

_Ravenna –Day 6_

The palace that once belonged to Odoacer was now being ravaged and torn apart by Huns and Goths. They were throwing statues over the balconies and setting tapestries on fire and tossing them into the field on the second story.

Gabrielle sipped her wine and sat with her wife on the grass watching the men having a bit of a good time ransacking the palace. "Are you sure we should be letting them run wild like this?"

Xena nodded and crossed her ankles. "How many times will they ever get a chance to do this? Let them enjoy it, Gabrielle."

The blonde shook her head. "Now Justinian is the only ruler of the Roman Empire. Will we go after him next?"

"I told you, I'm done. I completed my mission here and that was to get rid of Odoacer. He's dead. Justinian is another animal that I am not able to conquer."

This surprised Gabrielle and she leaned into her wife's arm. "Did you really mean that? You really don't want to be a commander anymore?"

"Attila wanted Rome to fall and that's exactly what's going to happen. I fulfilled his wish," she turned to her wife with a warm smile.

"You did this for him?"

"Yes and I just wanted Odoacer to die," she sipped her wine casually.

Gabrielle laughed lightly. "I expect nothing less coming from you." she clinked her glass with her wife's and they both took a swig of the wine.

Alaric approached them lounging in the grass while the soldiers were busy wrecking havoc on the Roman abode. He took off his gloves and smiled at them. "I have planted the flags around the area. Italia will now belong to Goths and Huns."

"I'm sure Attila is turning in his grave," Xena joked.

"Thank you both for your help. I'd love for you to stay but I am sure you'd like to go back to Pannonia."

Gabrielle sighed. "Pannonia. It seems like a long forgotten place."

"But don't you want to see the look on everyone's faces when I wave this Roman flag in the air?" Xena pulled out the flag from her saddlebag and wiggled her brows.

* * *

_Balaam_

Hormizd definitely had the upper-hand during this war because he had the Vandals on his side. Boareks' canons did nothing to deter the Persians from invading. There was no stopping them coming inland. Everyone had been fighting for days on end, including Navaz and Oran, who grew weak and tired.

Anastasia and Ellac were in center field fighting off Vandals and Persians, yards apart from each other. They worked off each other and defended one another but that all changed when the final and third wave of Persians rushed in. Hormizd rode into the field, heading straight for Ellac and Erzibet was riding towards Anastasia at full force.

Erzibet dismounted her horse to make this a fair fight. She drew her sword and smiled at the Hun queen. Ana held her blade close and glared at the Persian woman. She couldn't believe that her son was to marry this woman at one point. She was glad that fell through and never happened. But now she had to fight this woman who was half her age.

"I shall be the one to send your carcass back to your son," threatened Erzibet.

Anastasia half smiled. "If I am to fight you then we shall both be carcasses in the snow."

Erzibet was the one to make the first move and Ana spun around but with a quick swipe of Erzibet's sword; she chopped off the Hun queen's long hair. Ana gasped and saw more than half her hair lying in the cold snow. At that moment she felt a piece of her identity ripped away from her in a split second. Her fingers ran through her hair which was uneven from the blade's cut and it barely passed her shoulders.

She growled and ran after the young Persian and swung her sword in several directions. They ended up on the ground, rolling around and Ana head butted the Persian lieutenant then stood up slowly to drive her sword into her. Erzibet came to and she kicked the queen in her knee and Anastasia fell backwards, screaming loudly in pain. Glancing at her broken leg she chose to ignore the pain and stabbed her foe in the femur.

Erzibet cried out and kicked the Hun queen in the face and attempted to crawl away. Anastasia rubbed her jaw and blood seeped from her mouth. She smiled with blood stained teeth and crawled through the snow and grabbed the Persian's boot.

"Not today…" she growled and flipped over Erzibet and sat on top of her. She pulled out a dagger from her belt and plunged it into her chest. She twisted the blade and Erzibet gasped for air from punctured lungs. Ana spat in her face and turned to see her husband fighting with Hormizd.

The two men were in close combat and just as she feared, they both plunged their swords into each other. She panicked and crawled across the snow with her broken leg. Hormizd let a small smile escape his lips and then Ellac pushed him backward. He too, fell to the ground, and wrapped an arm around his wounded abdomen.

"Ellac!"

He turned at his wife's voice and collapsed into the snow onto his back. Ignoring the pain, she drug her leg behind her and leaned over him. She cupped his cold pale cheeks then eyed the wound. Blood poured everywhere turning the snow crimson.

He grinned weakly and brushed a bloody palm across her cheek. She held his wrist and kissed his palm and then his lips. She felt his last breath escape his lips and she pulled away slowly, staring at him calmly. She wrapped her arm over his chest and ignored the horses racing by them.

"Ana!" Navaz rode over on his horse and saw her hovering over Ellac. He frowned sadly and she lifted her teary eyes. "Anastasia, we need to go to the Adame. The Persians are beginning to retreat now that Hormizd is dead."

He looked at her broken leg and he hopped off the horse and helped her up. She kept her eyes on Ellac and Navaz wrapped an arm around her, ushering her to the horse.

* * *

_Three Days Later_

That night was a long one for Anastasia. Navaz put her leg back into place and made a splint for her. Now she laid rest in his bedroom to heal until she was well enough to travel back to Pannonia. She ordered him to burn Ellac's body and she'd take the remains back to her family. Knowing that the person she loved since she was a child would no longer be in her life was disheartening but she felt a sense of relief this time.

The first time she thought Ellac died she was heartbroken and could barely go on day by day. Now, she was there, she was present for his death and that gave her a sense of peace knowing that he was with her. The only thing she couldn't bear was the look on Cera's and Csaba's faces when she'd arrive with their father's ashes.

Navaz entered the room and came to sit by her on the bed. He laid Ellac's sword wrapped in red and black ribbons on her lap. "I cleaned his sword for you. I know you'd want to have it."

She brushed her fingers along the dull blade. "Thank you," she said with half a grin. She set the sword aside and he kept staring at her with those warm dark eyes of his.

"Ellac told me to take care of you and Cera. I suppose Csaba is going to take his place."

She sighed. "Yes. I will have to deal with that when I go back to Pannonia."

"I will come with you."

She chuckled lightly and grabbed his hand. "You don't have to do that. I can take care of myself."

He shyly smiled. "I know." He squeezed her hand. "I'd marry you again if that is what you want."

Anastasia's smile widened and was flattered by the gesture. "You're very sweet Navaz but we were a horrible married couple. We hardly knew each other when we got married."

"Yet we made a gorgeous brat of a daughter."

She nodded. "Yes, she is definitely a brat."

The two shared a warm smile and he kissed her hand.

"Besides, I don't think Safiya would like it very much if you remarried your ex wife!" she laughed.

"Only for political purposes," he waved his hand dismissively, playing along. "I'll always be here for you." he stood and kissed her forehead then went to the doors to make his leave.

Anastasia sat up in the bed, shifting her splinted leg. "Navaz." He paused and turned. "Will you stay here with me?"

* * *

_Matra Hills, Pannonia_

Ursula looked after the khatun for almost two weeks and she forbade anyone to come into the room. Ernak did sneak in to see his sickly mother but he was quickly ordered out by the nervy shamaness. She sat over Kreka and dabbed her sweaty forehead with a cloth.

She inhaled deeply and squeezed out the hot sweat from the linen and washed her hands. She covered the khatun with the blanket, allowing her to sleep a little while until she was to be woken up so she could have another helping of medicine shoved down her throat.

Ursula made her way into Farah's section of the yurt and of course the Banat queen was busy drawing the prints for the Adame. The prints took up three parchments now as she spent most of her time organizing where all the families should stay. It didn't look like anyone was leaving this place anytime soon and the other Adame wasn't able to accommodate everyone comfortably and there were no room for family and guests at once.

Farah lifted the ruler off the parchment and set down the feather quill. She saw the expression on Ursula's face and knew she was about to hear some bad news. "Has Kreka's condition improved?"

The shamaness wagged her head. "I'm afraid not. She is worse than she was two weeks ago."

Farah furrowed her eyebrows sadly. "Does the plague infect her like it did to Issik?"

"No. She has an infection in her lungs. I suspect it has been dormant in her for months and she is very stubborn and said nothing of it." She hated to admit but she had an important thing to discuss with the Banat queen. She walked around and stood in front of her, staring intensely at her.

"Farah, with Anastasia gone to war and the khatun out of commission, you will need to act as queen in their stead."

The young queen's stomach knotted. "Can't Yeter do that?"

Ursula raised an eyebrow. "That girl is too miserable to do anything. Besides, she is not a Hun queen. You are. This is your duty."

"What…what am I supposed to do?"

"For now, nothing. But if something happens I hope you are ready to face the challenge. Safiya would be happy to watch your boys for you if you need to continue working on your prints. If you need to discuss anything about the tribe, Ernak would be the one to speak to. He is in charge while Ellac is away."

Farah nodded. "Alright. Will she get better?"

"It is…unlikely. For now, I will comfort her and that is all I can do." Ursula bowed her head and then left the room.


	50. Chapter 50

**This chapter is bittersweet but all the more enjoyable than the last depressing chapter. The character added in this chapter is not random. She's important for the future. Enjoy and thanks for reading! Seriously.**

Chapter 50 – _The Price of The Past_

A month later after the Persian war in Balaam, Ana returned to the tribe in northern Pannonia. Oran and Navaz accompanied her throughout their long journey to get back to their family and roots. When they arrived, everyone in the encampment came to greet them. The people assumed victory against the formidable Sassan family. But what they didn't know was that the brother of the Vandal king yet lives and so does Balash, one of Hormizd's cousins. The Sassan family would return to attack again but not for awhile. They would lay dormant for now.

Anastasia smiled at everyone who greeted her and she saw Farah and Ernak arguing in front of the ill constructed Adame they were working on. She turns her eyes to the children who emerged from the yurts sprawled across the camp. Her eyes focused on Cera who was more than thrilled to see her. She frowned sadly when she saw her daughter searching for Ellac.

She halted the horse and stepped off then grabbed Ellac's sword off the back of the saddle and approached Cera cautiously. She needn't say a word to her. Cera's mouth parted at the sight of her father's sword laden in her mother's arms. Soran stuck by her side and grasped her shoulder firmly.

She never had to explain a father's death to anyone before. Csaba was a toddler when Ellac was thought to be dead. Cera was twelve now and knew far more about death than Csaba ever did. She tried to put on a smile for the lithe teen.

"Cera, I wanted to let you know that your father fought well. He killed the Shah and we're rid of the Persians," she tried to celebrate Ellac's honorable sacrifice.

Cera nodded slowly and gaped at the sword. Another moment when she wished she could speak but she couldn't make a sound, not even a scream. Her eyes welled with tears and they drifted up to her tall mother. She leapt forward and wrapped her lanky arms around her mother, sobbing in her black tunic.

Anastasia sighed and kissed the top of her daughter's head. Running through her fingers through Cera's silky auburn hair she whispered, "He loved you a lot, you know that. He saved everyone."

The teary eyed teenager pulled away and wiped her cheeks. Anastasia emit a small smile and presented Ellac's sword. She held her arms out and the heavy blade was placed into her arms. She exhaled deeply and stared at for awhile, processing everything.

"You should keep that in a safe place until your brother comes here." She advised.

Cera nodded. Soran wrapped a supportive arm around her. "We can keep it in the yurt," he suggests. The two walked off together back to their temporary home.

* * *

Oran slipped away and spoke to one of the citizens where his wife was. He entered the women's yurt and hoped he wasn't to be smacked in the face or find them undressed. He walked through the curtains and saw Yeter brushing her hair on a floor bed surrounded by pillows.

"Yeter," he announced himself and waved his hand.

She grinned; excited to see him, as she never thought that would happen. Being stuck in this yurt for months with a bunch of women was beginning to weigh on her. She had not been able to go out freely like everyone else and reverted to being a hermit in her room.

He sat down in front of her and although he'd been alone with her several times, he felt awkward. "How are you doing?" he asked and nudged his head at their child.

She grumbled and set down the hairbrush and pulled her long hair over her shoulder and twisted it around several times. "Awful. This child is trying to kill me. I am counting the days."

Oran smiled at her less than sunny disposition. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here for you. I had to help in Balaam."

"No need to apologize to me. I am glad to see you."

His eyebrows rose. "You are?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" she says half jokingly and he shrugged his shoulders, falling silent. "Issik will be happy to see you. You're all he talks about."

That made him feel good about himself and he turned around, looking for his son.

"He's sleeping right now. I will wake him later. I am not stupid enough to wake him up from a nap," she jokes with a smile. "Your mother is going to kill you if she finds you in here."

He waved his hand and snorted. "She can make an exception. Where is she anyway?"

Suddenly the mood darkened and her eyes darted to the curtains across the room. "She's taking care of the khatun."

He cocked his head. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's very sick. Your mother has been very helpful to the khatun and…me and Issik," she added quietly.

"She enjoys healing people. It is sort of her thing."

Yeter nodded and then her eyes darkened a shade while she glared at her husband. She began in a cold and firm tone, "Oran. That Sabir woman you've been sleeping with."

His face paled and he sat up straight, looking into her brown eyes.

"I want you to stop seeing her." she said this and it caught him off guard and rendered him speechless. "I'm your wife. I am not something to be tossed aside and only to be used when you want a child."

Oran inhaled heavily and grabbed her hand then squeezed it tightly and gave an understanding smile.

* * *

With the conquering of Odoacer's western half of the Roman Empire, the Hun army left by ship to Dalmatia and from there they traveled to Banat which was much closer than Pannonia. The only problem they faced was that they had over a hundred Berbers with them and had no idea what to do with them.

Gabrielle suggested that they'd stay in Dalmatia and if they wished to travel back to Africa, they could. But from the looks on their faces, the thought of traveling back to their homeland was not considered. The Vandals obviously struck such fear in them that they'd never return, at least not for a few years. Their minds were put to rest when they heard the Vandal king was dead, but that didn't settle any other concerns they had.

A few of the Berber boys, probably teenagers no less than fifteen years of age, came to Banat with Xena, Gabrielle and the entire army. They spoke little outside their native language but they understood everything that was directed towards them.

"Is your queen…Kahina, is she alive?" the governor asked one of the boys.

He rubbed his chin. "I…am not sure," he answered brokenly.

"You didn't see her get kidnapped or killed by the Vandals?"

The boy raised his eyebrow, unsure of how to answer. He whispered to his friend and Gabrielle kept staring, hoping they'd understand and give her some proper information but at this point, it was pointless.

Xena sighed loudly and trotted up the hill towards the Banat palace. "It's no use, Gabrielle. Don't waste your breath. We'll see if Farah understands their language and can translate for us."

She snapped her fingers and grabbed her wife's shoulder to which she received a glare. "You are brilliant, Xena! I forgot Farah knows several languages."

They arrived in front of the palace and the place was barren of people. There weren't people wandering the streets of Banat and it appeared all of the mansions in the surrounding area were emptied. They saw Csaba and Rabia packing their horses in the compound.

"Csaba!" yelled Xena. She waved her hand and he spun around at her alarming voice.

He grinned and ran over to greet her. "I was beginning to wonder about your mortality," he joked. "You haven't written anyone in months."

Gabrielle smirked, "well, I suggested we write at least someone during our travels but your  _grandmother_  said no."

Xena shot a mocking smile at her wife and turned to her grandson. "What is going on around here? There's no one in the streets or roads for miles."

He lowered his eyes. "Oh yes, that. I had to kill a lot of people. They were infected with the plague. The rest of the citizens were evacuated to northern Banat. I don't know when it will be safe for them to return."

Xena and Gabrielle shared a worried expression. "And Pannonia?" asked Gabrielle.

"Mother moved the entire camp to the Matra Hills before she left for Persia. In fact, I am going there right now with Rabia."

"Persia?!" Xena blurted out. "What in god's name is her business over there? I thought I told her not to go there! She's lost her mind, she –"

"My father died," he interrupted. Both women fell silent and Gabrielle put a hand over her mouth. He witnessed such a change of heart in his grandmother's eyes. She was furious one second and then overcome with sadness in the next, though she tried to hide her feelings as usual.

He continued, "Mother wrote me a few days ago. She's waiting for my arrival so there can be a ceremony for his passing. He killed the Shah," he says with a sad grin.

"I'm sorry, Csaba."

He tried to play it off and remain calm just as he did when he received his mother's letter. "It's okay. These things happen. I knew this day would come." He walked over to his horse and pulled on the reins. Rabia was already set to go and remained in the shadows, listening to their conversation.

Gabrielle knew that he was trying act like a good king and son by hiding his feelings. It definitely reminded her of someone and her eyes drifted to her wife who was also silent and dead in the eyes. "It's alright to feel sad, Csaba. You don't have to hold it in."

He mounted the horse and trotted alongside her. "I'm fine, Gabrielle. Really." He kissed her hand and emits a charming smile. "I'm more concerned for my mother and Cera." He led the way towards the gates. "Shall we be on our way then?" he yelled over his shoulder.

Rabia trotted in between the commander and governor to trail behind Csaba. She kept her gaze low and was not one for words and didn't wish to converse with them. Gabrielle and Xena stayed behind for a few moments and followed soon after.

"Xena, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

The blonde softly exhaled and gripped the reins tightly, gazing at the dry soil. There was nothing she could say that was going to make her wife talk, at least not now. Perhaps that would all change when they arrived in the new camp, but until then, she figured their journey would be silent and tense.

* * *

After Arielle and Bayan convinced the Mongolian tribe to side with them they returned to Assyria and stayed in Harran for a few weeks then made their way down to Aleppo. Bayan thought it a good idea to get involved in the trade route along the coast and Aleppo was a hot spot for trading. There were several people there from different parts of the world showcasing their items to be sold.

They stayed in a tavern inland of the city for the last couple of months. While Arielle was more of a homebody due to her lifestyle back in Pannonia, Bayan loved to travel. He was always on the move and this spiked several arguments between the two.

He was more concerned with the wealth of their growing tribe while she wanted to conquer several other lands in the area. Their constant arguing was not hidden and their people knew very well of their bickering. It was hard to ignore.

"You care more about gold than you do about anything else!" she yelled.

He got out of the bed and slipped his pants on. "That is not true. You're just too hungry for war to concentrate. Our army is not strong enough to fight anyone!"

"We invaded lower Mongolia just fine."

"We were lucky." He turned around and pulled the tunic over his head, staring at his fuming wife. "I'm going to the coast to bargain for slaves. Are you coming or not?" he asked and she folded her arms over her bare breasts. "Fine. Stay."

He grabbed his coat and stormed out of their room. She groaned and slammed her palms on the bed then ruffled her messy curls. Ku came into the room, listening from the adjoining room. She held her queen's clothing for the day.

"You…had another fight," she said.

Arielle turned her head, alarmed at Ku's words. "Oh." She felt slightly embarrassed and cuddled the sheets to her bare flesh. "Yes. It's all we seem to do these days."

The maid laid out the clothes onto the bed and smiled at the young queen. "It is normal for married couples to argue, your highness."

Arielle scoffed and threw the sheets off her body and snatched the pants and tunic that were laid out for her. "I am regretting ever marrying him. We worked better together when we lived a part," she hated to admit. "I don't understand how we can argue so much and we've known each other for so long? My brother married his wife only within a few months of knowing her! They get along just fine and have three children."

She laced up her tunic and tucked into her pants and then reached for her boots. Ku laced her fingers together and felt it was not really her place to give advice or say anything but she went ahead anyway. "He loves you very much."

The queen paused while tying the laces of her boot. "I know he does," she said quietly.

"Everything will work out in the end. You'll see."

Arielle had doubts about Ku's words. "I want to scout the outskirts of the city. Will you come with me?"

"Of course. Anywhere you go, I go," Ku smiled and handed her queen her black cloak. Arielle grinned and threw the cloak over her shoulder.

* * *

They walked around the outskirts of Aleppo but it didn't feel like the countryside since there were vendors on every corner. They were bombarded by several men along the way and Arielle pulled her sword a couple of times and the men backed off. From now on, she carried her sword in hand so nobody would come near them.

Once they finally exited the busiest part of the so called countryside, there was a huge square that was filled with homes. Arielle was happy to finally be out of the busy areas and into more of a suburban area. She saw a Roman or Greek man speaking with a woman in burgundy clothing, wearing a very familiar headdress of her people.

She grabbed Ku's hand and led her to a building. "What are we doing?" whispered Ku.

"That woman. She wears the same headdress as the khatun in my tribe," she whispered and tried listening to the conversation across the way. She heard the Roman man mention Attila and the woman nodded her head, and continued talking in a soft voice as if she were being interviewed.

Arielle and Ku lingered awhile longer until the Roman left with his journal and head out of the area. The veiled woman stood from the bench and grabbed her satchel to leave. Arielle ran out and blocked the woman's path. She held her sword to the woman's throat.

"Why do you wear the royal kozak?" questioned Arielle.

The woman widened her black eyes and put a hand over her chest, fearing she'd die. "Get that out of my face, child." She swatted the sword and hurried along.

Arielle ran after her and the mystery woman turned around, grabbing her wrist and twisted it. Arielle yelped and dropped the sword to which the woman kicked it up with her boot and now held the sword to the Harran Queen's throat. Arielle breathed heavily and Ku stood behind her, wishing she could help.

"It is not very wise to point a blade in my face, girl." The woman said and lifted her chin, gazing into the bright blue eyes in front of her. "Why are you following me?"

More training, Arielle thought. She definitely needed more training.

"I heard you talking about Attila with that Roman. And you wear the royal headdress of the Pannonia tribe."

The woman lowered the sword and raised a brow. "And how would  _you_  know of the Pannonia tribe?"

"Because…I am from there. My family lives there."

"Your family," she reiterated and Arielle nodded. "You are from Attila's clan?"

Arielle wasn't sure how to answer that. She was not related to Attila but she definitely had close ties to him. "In a way, yes."

"I don't want to fight with you. I just want to know why you were talking about Attila," she added. "Are you a Hun?"

The woman handed over the sword and Arielle hesitantly grabbed it from her. She folded her arms, glaring at the young girl who was far too young to know her place. "I was sought out by the Roman to be questioned about Attila's life." She explained. "I used to be Bleda's wife."

Arielle's eyes widened and studied the woman's face. She looked younger than Kreka or perhaps she just had great genes. To be a wife of Attila's brother, Bleda, was not something ever mentioned in her family. Bayan was right; she couldn't escape her family wherever she went. She did remember her grandmother mention that Bleda was a horrible man and very greedy when it came to power. She couldn't imagine him having a wife.

" _Wife_?"

* * *

Kreka coughed violently and tried to get out bed but Ursula pushed her back down. She waved her hands in front of her face to get the sage smoke out of her face. "God dammit, Ursula! You're trying to kill me!" she yelled in a coughing fit.

"I see you are feeling better. That's the most you've said to me in a month." She smiled and wafts the sage stick in front of the khatun's face.

"Ursula!" she coughed and sat up in bed then was yanked back down and pinned by her arms. She widened her eyes, staring at the shamaness' dark eyes.

"You  _will_  stay."

Anastasia hobbled into the room and covered her nose and mouth. She walked right into a thick cloud of sage and coughed. " _Gökler_ …" she muttered and Ursula spun around. She immediately felt that she was unwanted and made sure her visit was brief.

"I wanted…to see how she was doing. Ernak was asking."

The shamaness turned around only to find the khatun try to rise again and she pushed her back down. " _Yerde kal_!" she yelled and Kreka groaned and covered her mouth to prevent further inhalation of the sage. "She's feeling better. You need not worry Ernak."

"I'll let him know." Ana said and waved the smoke out of her face. "Csaba should be arriving soon for the ceremony."

Kreka's eyebrows rose. "What ceremony?"

She'd be stuck inside the yurt for over a month and her heart raced. She sat up and this time Ursula did not stop her. "Who died?"

Anastasia sighed. "Ellac. In Balaam, fighting against the Persians. He killed Hormizd."

The horns echoed throughout the camp and Anastasia whipped her head around. Kreka got out of bed and grabbed her headdress. "I'm coming."

"You are not," Ursula stood up, confronting the queen mother.

"Ursula, I am above you and I am telling you to get out of my way nicely before I harm you."

"You could not harm a feather even if you tried. Get back in bed."

Kreka pushed her out of the way and exited the room. Ursula threw her hands in the air and Anastasia shrugged her shoulders and parted the curtains. "She  _is_  the queen," she teased and limped out of the yurt.

* * *

Arriving outside, Anastasia was astonished to see her son but also her mother and Gabrielle traveling behind him. Her jaw dropped and she hurried over to them. Xena dismounted and ran over to her wounded daughter and wrapped her arms around her.

She buried her face in her mother's hair and smiled over her shoulder at Gabrielle. "Mother…what are you doing here? I haven't heard anything from you." she pulled away. Now she felt like a child when her mother was inspecting her and cupping her cheeks.

"Anastasia, I'm sorry. Csaba told us about Ellac. Are you…feeling alright?"

Gabrielle ran over to them and squeezed Ana's arm. "Yeah, how are you feeling – _really_?"

"I'm alright," she said and the two women furrowed their eyebrows. There was not a tear in sight. She laughed it off and wrapped her arms around them. "I'm serious. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Xena was suspicious of her daughter's behavior and it was not the same reaction when she thought Ellac died long ago when she was a teenager. She was devastated and wouldn't speak to anyone for days on end. This was different. Xena decided not to pressure her daughter and went along with her odd behavior.

She ran her fingers through Ana's short locks. "Your hair. Where's the rest of it?"

"That is a long story. I'll tell you about it later. I must go say hello to Csaba." She backed away with a big smile and hobbled over to her son who she hadn't seen in many months.

Gabrielle leaned into her wife. "She is acting weird."

"I'll say."

She folded her arms and her eyes caught the khatun exiting the yurt looking like a haggard mess. Her eyes sunken, skin pale and hair void of sheen. "Whoa," she said aloud and Kreka spun around with a threatening frown. "What happened to you?"

"Shut up." Kreka spat. "Where have you been?" she asked with a hint of concern.

Xena toyed with her, "aw, does someone actually care?" she teased and her wife slapped her arm.

Kreka raised a thick eyebrow. "I'm in no mood for your sarcasm, Xena. I've had too many people taken from me."

The commander's smile disappeared and approached the solemn ill khatun. "I'm sorry about Dengizich. Gabrielle and I heard from Alaric."

"What were you doing conversing with Goths?" Kreka questioned with utmost suspicion.

"Long story," said Gabrielle. "Um, we're really sorry to hear about Dengi. We'll miss him very much." She hesitantly put a comforting palm on the khatun's shoulder and much to her surprise she received a smile.

"Thank you."

* * *

Inside a private yurt that was put up for Anastasia, which was now also to be shared by Xena and Gabrielle, the three were getting ready for tonight's ceremony for Ellac. Gabrielle was on the floor, polishing her boots and Xena stood behind her daughter, dressing her daughter with a black headdress.

She smoothed her hands over the veil and adjusted it on Ana's head. She stared in the mirror and gripped her daughter's shoulders. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"For the last time mother, yes," she reassured her. She ran her fingers over the beads along the top portion of her dress and sighed. Her eyes drifted upward in the mirror's reflection and her mother had a frown on her face. She spun around in the chair and copied the same frown.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

Xena scoffed and lifted her daughter's chin. "I just want to make sure you're not holding anything in. You're being entirely too calm about this."

"I appreciate your concern, mother, but you must stop worrying over me." She pat her mother's hand and turned around to the mirror to adjust the veil around her face and shoulders.

Gabrielle set her set of polished boots aside and witnessed confliction in her wife's eyes. She seemed more upset about Ellac's death than Ana was. While that was concerning, she didn't want to press the queen further before the ceremony.

"Where's Arielle?"

Anastasia paused and her mother folded her arms, also curious where the obtuse princess was. "Oh, um…after you both left, she…she ran off with Bayan."

"Excuse me, she what?"

"Mother, can we not do this right now?"

Xena leaned a hand on the top of the chair, glaring at her daughter who looked more than afraid. Gabrielle slowly stood up, not sure what either of them was about to do. "You mean to tell me that she's been with him this entire time?"

Anastasia said nothing and kept staring at her mother with a blank expression.

"And when I took her on that raid…that was  _her_  fault." she smiles in disbelief. "She warned Bayan we were coming! She lied to me, to you, to Ellac –everyone!"

"Mother..."

"And he is the one she was sleeping with? No wonder she didn't want to tell you anything when she was pregnant." She scoffed. "It all makes sense now. It was because of  _him_."

Gabrielle shook her head and walked over to stand beside them. "Wait what? Arielle's pregnant? How did I miss that?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes and stood. "Mother, we aren't discussing this right now. I'm going to go outside and I expect you two to be there shortly and we are finished talking about this." She backed out slowly from the yurt with her final words.

Gabrielle rubbed her chin and stared at her angry wife. "Arielle's pregnant?"

"No."

"No? What does that mean?"

Xena rubbed her aching temple. "It  _means_  she's not pregnant anymore. Let's go before they miss us."

* * *

During the ceremony, Ellac's ashes were spread around in a huge bonfire in the center of the camp. Ernak stood with Ebnedzar with their wives and children beside them. Oran was able to convince Yeter to come sit with everyone even if it was for awhile.

Cera and Csaba stood on either side of their mother while Farah was with her sister and three sons beside Csaba. Xena stood beside her daughter and Gabrielle. Her eyes were on the fire and this was not a conventional ceremony as they had no physical body to burn but ashes instead.

Gabrielle leaned backward and stared at Anastasia who seemed to be in a bit of a comatose state. She nudged her wife and whispered, "You should sing something."

"No."

Kreka sat beside Ernak and overheard their conversation. She leaned forward in the chair and glared up at the stubborn commander. "You have a very nice voice, Xena. You did it for Attila, why not for his son?"

"I am not going to sing."

She thought in her mind that if she did do as they asked that it would be real –that Ellac was truly gone and she somehow didn't want that. She'd seen and accepted death of her family members several times in her life. The pain of losing a loved one was never easy and she thought if it suddenly became an easy loss that there was something truly wrong with her.

Her eyes drifted over to her daughter. Ana was fixated on the fire and motionless. She knew that numbing feeling all too well. When she came back to Pannonia after Borias died, she too fell silent and had a newborn baby to take care of by herself. It wasn't anything that she imagined her life would be at that age. In fact, she was not one who ever desired children and it seems that way of thinking had been passed down to Arielle.

She sighed and took a few steps forward. She put all her thoughts behind her and closed her eyes for a brief moment then let out a soft melodious tune.

Anastasia slowly lifted her eyes away from the fire and looked her mother's way. All her feelings that she bottled up for a month finally were set free. She buried her face in hands and sobbed. Csaba wrapped an arm around her and held her close. He felt her trembling against him and he leaned his head on hers, watching the fire.

* * *

Bayan came back from the market a couple of days later and entered the room within the tavern. He pulled his cloak off and threw it on a chair and halted in step when he saw a woman sitting on the floor with his wife and Ku.

Arielle quickly jumped up and grabbed his hand. "Bayan, we have a guest." She said and smiled. She whispered, "Her name is Madhiya and she's Bleda's widow."

"Attila's brother?" he clarified and she nodded. He walked over to Madhiya. "Nice to meet you. My name is Bayan. No matter where we go we are followed by the people of Pannonia," he said with a forced smile. Arielle frowned and slapped the middle of his back.

Arielle sat down on the floor and cautiously watched her husband unpack his saddlebag on a table from afar. "So, Madhiya, if you were a wife of a king, why don't you live in Pannonia with the rest of the clan?"

"I don't think that the clan would be very welcoming towards me. Attila hated my husband and that is why he killed him. Besides, I did not stay in Pannonia during my marriage. I lived with my tribe. I am the governor of my people."

"Oh,  _governor_ ," Arielle said, very intrigued. "What tribe are you from?"

Madhiya was hesitant to give away such information as she was very suspicious of the girl's eagerness. "A tribe that was excommunicated from the empire after my husband's death," she explained and Arielle waited for her to continue. "The Yakut tribe, north of Kazakhstan."

"Maybe I could talk to my… _family_ ," she almost mentioned her mother, "and bring your tribe into the empire again."

Bleda's widow narrowed her eyes and that made Arielle uneasy. "Who did you say you were related to?"

"I didn't."

"You ask a lot of questions for someone who is not related directly to Attila."

Bayan turned at the sound of Madhiya's stern and almost venomous tone. He walked over to his wife. "Arielle, can I speak to you alone?"

She smiled and excused herself and followed him into their bedroom. He smiled at the woman and pulled the curtains away from prying eyes and ears. He whispered, "I don't like her. She has snake eyes. Why did you bring her here?"

"I was curious. She was talking to a Roman when I found her. He was interviewing her about Attila's life. He must have tracked her down or something."

He ran a hand across his face. "Arielle, don't you think there's a reason as to why she was never mentioned by your family? She just told you her tribe was excommunicated. They must've done something awful for that to happen. I'm going to ask her to leave."

She grabbed his arm. "No, you won't!" she hissed. "I want to find out more information. This could be very valuable to us."

Arielle walked back into the room and sat down with Ku and Madhiya. "Sorry about that. Where were we?"

"Your lineage," Madhiya said and blinked slowly at the Harran queen.

Arielle nervously grinned. She ignored the question and asked, "Did you know Attila's commander, Xena?"

The woman raised her eyebrow and tapped her fingers on the tea glass. "I know who she is. I've never met her. I married Bleda before she came to Pannonia."

That made a lot more sense as to why Madhiya was never mentioned before. "So, you've never met her? Not even once?"

Madhiya's frown deepened. "No and I hope I never do. She encouraged Attila to kill my husband."

Arielle tried to hide her shock and lowered her gaze to the floor. She never thought she'd find out so much about her family when she left Pannonia. She wanted to leave to escape her family but that proved to be difficult.

"Well, it has been nice talking to you, Arielle, but I must be on my way back to my tribe. It is a long journey for me." Madhiya stood as did Ku who was glaring at her from behind. "I'm sure our paths will cross again." She gave a brief smile and grabbed her satchel then left.

Bayan folded his arms. "She's a snake, Arielle. You shouldn't have invited her to talk."

"She doesn't know who I am. What could she do to me?"

"She will find out. Your parents are monarchs of the empire. That woman is not stupid."

* * *

Gabrielle, unable to sleep a few days after Ellac's funeral, rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes wandered over to her slumbering wife and sighed heavily. She placed her hands over her chest and twiddled her thumbs back and forth.

"Xena? Are you awake?" she whispered.

"Hmm."

It was almost dawn and normally she'd like to sleep in but the tables turned and now she was the one who was awake early while Xena slept soundly. She rolled over onto her side and peered over her wife's turned back.

"How come you didn't tell me about Arielle?"

Xena groaned and shifted in the bed and pulled the sheets over her shoulder and curled her legs close to her chest for warmth. "I promised Ana I wouldn't say anything," she mumbled.

"Oh." Gabrielle rolled over onto her back again and her eyes roamed the plain yurt. "Did anyone else know?"

"Gabrielle…" she groaned loudly and turned over with tired eyes. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Sorry." She leaned over and kissed her wife's forehead and fixed her messy bangs. "Do you think she is alright?"

Xena blew some hair out of her face and stretched her legs and arm over her head. "I'm sure she's fine." She rubbed the blonde's arm.

"You were right."

"About what?"

Gabrielle's eyes reverted back to the curved ceiling. "She ran away just like you said she would."

"That is one thing I didn't want to be right about." Xena swung her legs out of bed and ran her fingers through her bed hair then slipped black flats on and rose out of bed to make her way out of the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" the governor sat up and rolled down her long sleeves.

"I'm awake. Can't go back to sleep now, can I?"

* * *

She walked out into the other section of the yurt where Ana slept and saw Farah's twin boys sitting on the floor playing with a few wooden figurines. She smiled and Anastasia lifted her eyes, briefly acknowledging her mother and then Gabrielle who came in shortly after.

Gabrielle, thrilled to see the babies, sat down beside them, smiling from ear to ear. It had been many months since she was around some normalcy and her dreams infected her with war constantly. "Look at you two," she touched one of the boy's arms and he turned, gazing at her with hazel eyes. "They're so big now."

Ana nodded. "They are. Farah asked me to watch them. She is talking to Ernak about the construction of the Adame."

"So early in the morning? That girl wastes no time." Xena searched on the table for the powder she wanted to use for her tea. She lifted up a canister and opened the lid only to find lavender. "Where's the kava root?"

"Ursula is hoarding it for Kreka. You can go over there and ask for it but I doubt she'll give it to you. She's very stingy with her herbs."

"Damn shamans," Xena muttered and poured some of the lavender in the glass. She didn't want to deal with Ursula so early in the morning. She searched for the kettle of hot water, knowing that Anastasia would have some ready. She popped the lid saw it was empty and slammed it down on the table.

"Where is the hot water?"

Anastasia sheepishly grinned. "I'm sorry. I didn't have time to fill it."

Xena sighed and grabbed the kettle. "I'll be back."

She smirked and paid attention to Gabrielle ogling the boys. "She's in a mood this morning."

"That's my fault. I woke her up." She grabbed one of the figurines and played along with the boys. The two smiled and giggled. Her attention was averted to Anastasia who was very quiet, yet enjoying watching the boys. "Are you feeling better?"

The queen nodded. "His death didn't seem real to me until the ceremony. I suppose I didn't want it to be. I'm glad that I got to share my life with him and have Cera. She's a very sweet girl."

Gabrielle thought of the redheaded princess and smiled softly. She knew that Anastasia was in pain inwardly and tried so hard to hide it.

"I miss Arielle."

"We all do. I'm sure she'll come back home."

"I hope so." She directed her mind elsewhere so she wouldn't shed any more tears. "You two never told me about your mission."

Gabrielle thought she should wait for her wife to tell their great accomplishments but she couldn't hold it in any longer. "Well, we pretty much destroyed Constantinople. After that we went to Syracuse and Xena killed Guthamund, the Vandal king. We teamed up with Alaric and went to Ravenna. Odoacer is dead. Alaric killed him. We have the flag to prove it!"

Anastasia slapped a hand over her chest. "Odoacer is dead?!"

"Yes and we're in charge of Italia now. Well, half of it. Xena and I split it with Alaric. Never thought you'd see Huns and Goths working together in our lifetime would you?"

Xena walked back in with a kettle full of heated water that she let lay rest over a fire. She poured the water into the glass, walking by her astonished daughter.

"Mom!" Ana yelled and her mother jumped. "Why didn't you tell me about Odoacer? That is huge! We are free from him now!"

"You just lost your husband _, tatli kiz_. I didn't think it was the right time."

"I couldn't be happier to hear this news. Attila would be over the moon if he was here." She clamped her hands together and beamed with a bright white smile.

Gabrielle grabbed one of the boys and set him in her lap while he continued to play with the wooden toys. "Don't you want to tell your daughter what your plans are for the future?" she hinted.

Xena stirred the lavender in the hot water and glared at her wife. "Why not just blab everything while you're at it?"

Ana frowned. "What's she talking about?"

"Since Gabrielle is spilling all of our secrets I might as well tell you." she walked over and sat down on the floor with everyone else. "I am resigning as commander. I can't do it anymore. I'm too old for this."

The queen snickered. "Did you just call yourself  _old_."

Xena crinkled her nose and caught her wife smugly smiling. "You're lucky that there are children present." She sipped her tea and strayed away from the focus upon on her. "So, are you going to tell us what happened to your gorgeous hair?" she asked her daughter.

"You're not getting off that easily. Who is going to take your position? I can't believe you actually want to resign."

Xena sighed. "I don't know? Give it to Ernak. He is a great leader. He can take my place and Csaba will be king."

Ana was not opposed to the idea and she had yet to write the documents for Csaba's reign as king since she came home. She'd have to remind herself to do that later and have Gabrielle sign everything. Edemen rushed into the yurt with flushed cheeks.

"Good morning ladies," he greeted whilst breathing heavily.

The women turned. "Good morning," they said in unison.

"Um, my mom is fighting with Ernak."

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Again?" she struggled to get up off the floor with her wounded leg. Using her mother and a chair for balance she rose slowly and walked over to the little prince. "She's such a perfectionist. Let's go talk to your mother."

As soon as she left, Gabrielle was faced with her wife's ominous expression. She figured that she was to be scolded or lectured or maybe even hit. She lifted Farah's son and used him as a shield. "I have a baby."

Xena raised her eyebrow and the infant gurgled and gave her a toothless smile. "Ah, but you can't hold him forever."

"Sure I can. He's so adorable. How can you resist this face?" she puckered her lips and pinched the boy's cheek.

Xena shook her head. "Csaba must be so disappointed that none of his sons look like him. Do you even know which one you're holding?"

Gabrielle snorted. "Of course I do…" she looked into the boy's hazel eyes and then to the other twin boy. She began to second guess herself. They looked virtually identical at this age and even wore similar outfits. "Um, this is definitely Aman. Or…no, wait."

* * *

After a long couple of months staying in Aleppo, Arielle and Bayan finally returned to Harran the following month. Their bickering ceased when they returned to their home but everything around was very tense and awkward as they walked on eggshells around each other.

Ku was given Fridays and Sundays off to attend Mass at one of the largest churches in Harran. Arielle never realized how much she relied on her maid until she was gone for two days out of the week and this was one of the days that she was missed.

Arielle opened her eyes and her husband was staring at her with a smile. It wasn't usually something was used to waking up to in the mornings. She pulled away and chuckled. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Because I want to. I like looking at you." he reached over and brushed a long curl away from her cheek. He ran his fingers along her tattooed arms and she shivered at his gentle touch. Despite their latest arguments, he could be very gentle and kind towards her which she admired.

He scooted closer to her in bed and raised an eyebrow. "It's Sunday. Ku will be gone all day. We have the house all to ourselves…" he hinted and reached beneath the sheets and traced his fingers along her hip.

"Oh yeah? And what did you have in mind?" she played along, casting a sneaky smile.

He rolled her onto her back and climbed on top of her. She widened her eyes and laughed lightly. He pinned her arms to the bed and kissed her forehead. "I know we talked about children before we moved here…"

Arielle felt her adrenaline pumping through her veins and her nerves were getting the best of her. Talk of children frightened her and she felt bad enough that she rid herself of their child without telling him. She wasn't sure if she was just afraid of motherhood or her mother's reaction, or maybe both.

"You want a baby," she said.

He nodded with an excited smile. "Don't you? Come on Arielle, we could have a prince or princess of Harran. He or she will be loved by everyone here."

He sensed some doubt and rolled off her and gripped her wrist and kissed her hand. She looked over to him and he seemed so adamant and yet patient with her. The topic was bound to come up sooner or later and she had forgotten that her duty as queen was not just to reign over her tribe but to provide heirs as well.

"Bayan, I…I don't know if I would be a good mother. I don't how to take care of a baby."

He let out a snort of a laugh. "What? The women in your family have children all the time!" he nudged her arm and she frowned. He straightened himself up and cleared his throat. "Sorry. You'll be great and I'll be with you the whole time."

She seemed shocked that he'd say that given all the fights they've had. "Really?"

"Every step of the way. All day, every day, I'll be here with you."

She cringed. "Okay maybe not that much," she said and he smiled.

"Either way, I'll be here." He rubbed her arm to comfort and ease her concerns. "If we have a girl we could name her Canan."

Arielle scoffed. "We are not naming our baby,  _Canan_."

"So, that's a yes?" he said, hoping so.

She pursed her mouth and couldn't think of the last time they simply talked with each other instead of being at each other's throats. She thought perhaps that bringing a child into the world would solve their marital fights and bring them closer together. She loved Bayan but she hated to argue with him.

"Yes.  _But_!" she held up her finger. "I get to name the baby."

He grinned and kissed her generously. "I'm sure you'll pick a great name."

* * *

Xena and Gabrielle sat in Kreka's portion of the large women's yurt, playing the card game that Edemen taught them awhile back. Xena suddenly felt badly for poking fun at the khatun and hated to see her so ill. For once, the queen mother didn't look so strong and powerful like she normally did. She was thinner, paler and tired.

Though, her illness did not stop her and she was eager to participate in any activity and luckily Ursula was preoccupied with Yeter at the moment in the next room. During the game, she had a hard time understanding the rules and throughout their time together, spurts of Yeter's screams echoed in the yurt.

Oran sat with his son in the same room, trying to distract him while Yeter was giving birth. Xena cringed at the scream and slapped a card down on the pile. "I do not envy her."

Gabrielle was nervous to be around the khatun and knowing her wife, she'd probably blurt out what she said when she was drunk that night. She tried to pay attention to the game and it was her turn.

"Gabrielle, you're up."

"Oh." She glanced at her cards and pulled out one to trump her wife's.

Kreka scratched her cheek. "How in god's name do you play this? I don't understand this game. What does this card do?" she presented one from her deck.

Xena smiled. "You're not supposed to show us your cards, Kreka. That defeats the purpose of the game."

Yeter called out Oran's name and he jumped. Issik stared up at him, completely distracted by his mother and expressed some concern for her. Xena nudged her wife to stare at the horrified man sitting across from them.

"Hey your wife is asking for you," she reminded him. "You better get in there."

He stood up and Issik grabbed his leg. "I…I've never been in the room with her before. What do I do?" he asked the women and all three of them just laughed. "This is not funny!"

Ursula came into the room and glared at her son. "Oran! She wants you. Did you not hear her?"

He inhaled deeply. "Yes, mother." He slowly approached the room and his mother pushed him in.

Gabrielle shook her head. "It's funny to see men so afraid of their wives." She mused.

Issik padded over to the circle of women and shyly asked, "Can I see my mom now?"

Xena turned and paddled his back gently. "Ah no, not yet. Why don't you go see Edemen? He's with Kurt outside."

He sighed and walked out of the yurt, sulking. Kreka grinned at the little prince's departure. "Poor boy."

Now that the three were alone, a devious grin crossed Xena's lips and she turned to her wife. Gabrielle's cheeks flushed and she sunk down like a small mouse. Kreka was busy trying to decipher what her cards meant to notice their interaction.

"Kreka, I got a  _great_  story to tell you."

"Xena please…" Gabrielle begged.

"You're gonna love it."

"Oh god."

Kreka took her eyes off her cards and saw the red-faced governor. "What is it?"

"You like Gabrielle, right?"

The khatun looked the governor's way and it was obvious she was embarrassed. "Well, yes."

"And…would you say that she is…attractive?" Xena went on and her wife almost ran out of the yurt. She grabbed her thigh, squeezing it tightly.

Kreka raised a curious brow. "What is this about?"

"Just answer the question."

She sighed and tapped her fingers on the cards in her hand. "I suppose so. She has attractive qualities."

"So, you wouldn't be offended if she found you attractive…" she kept the surly grin on her lips and Gabrielle felt like she wanted to die from utter embarrassment.

Kreka half smiled. "I take no offense. It's very kind of you to think that of me, Gabrielle." she said and the governor shielded her face. "Are we going to play this ridiculous game or not? I suggest we play chess instead."

Xena's mouth was to open again and Gabrielle pinched her arm. "Xena, please  _don't_!" she whispered. "If you tell her I won't do that  _thing_  you like so much," she threatened. In that instant, Xena's smile wiped clear off her lips.

"You're lying."

"I'm not," she hissed.

Kreka folded her arms, gawking at the two whispering back and forth. "Care to share?"

Xena forced a smile and batted her eyelashes. Her arm was released by her wife and the khatun stared strangely at them. "Gabrielle was just telling me how I'm so much more attractive than you."

" _Xena_!"

The khatun narrowed her eyebrows, unsure of what to make of this weird conversation. She decided to toy with them both, sensing there was more going on than she knew. "Perhaps if I liked my own sex in another life, I'd have you as my partner, Xena."

Gabrielle gasped.

The room was silent minus Yeter's moans and groans in the background. Gabrielle then busted into a fit of laughter and Xena frowned, folding her arms. This was not how she wanted this to go at all; a major backfire to which Gabrielle relished.

To make the situation even more uncomfortable, the khatun rested her hand on Xena's knee and winked at her. Xena cringed and slapped her hand. "Stop it!" she was disgusted by the shear thought. "Don't make me puke."

"Oh, am I  _that_  repulsive to you?" teased Kreka. Meanwhile Gabrielle was red in the face but not from embarrassment, but from laughing until her insides ached. Xena stood to leave in order to escape the awkwardness.

"Am I not attractive enough, Xena?" called out Kreka, stifling a laugh.

Gabrielle rubbed her aching sides and turned to her wife leaving the yurt. She had not realized that the khatun had such a sense of humor and it was a rare sight to behold. After she calmed herself down and her wife did not return, she felt maybe the joke had gone too far.

"I should go after her," she said with a smile, trying to contain herself.

Xena returned with a bottle of wine and several cups and a board, a bag of dice and wooden cups. "We play Chance. Farah and Csaba are hogging the chess board." She sat down and eyed her wife and couldn't hide her smile. Well played, she thought.

Kreka chuckled softly and reached for the wine. Xena frowned and laid out the dice and cups for the game. "Are you supposed to be drinking that?"

"You aren't my mother," retorted Kreka with a playful tone. "Life is short." She poured the wine in all three glasses and ignored the infection that plagued her body. "Just to be clear, you really wouldn't want me as a partner?" she teased.

Xena groaned.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51 – _Plethora of Queens_

A few months later everyone was still adjusting to their new life in the hills. Csaba and Ernak had an argument, days after Ellac's funeral ceremony of who should be the rightful king of the empire. Ernak felt he had more experience being king and took over after Dengi couldn't fulfill his duties and reigned until Ellac came back a decade later. Csaba, not being keen on arguing, he decided to split the empire with his uncle. He'd take the south and Ernak the north.

Aside from the minor disagreements about reigning kings, there was another issue. Nobody wanted Xena's position as commander, not even Ernak. Anastasia took her mother's place before and failed then ended up reneging on the role and giving it back to her mother. Xena even went so far as to ask her daughter to take her position but Anastasia immediately refused, knowing she'd never be good enough.

Another person who was up for the position was Ebnedzar but the idea of him being commander was not on Ana's mind. Instead, she was too busy signing papers for Navaz and Alaric.

Gabrielle walked into the yurt and dropped a handful of papers on top of the others Ana had yet to sign. "These are from Alaric. He wants to know what parts of the empire you want."

The queen sighed, already dreading the rest of her week. Staring at the stack of documents was not helping either. "I'll get to that once I'm finished with this." She flipped the page over and dipped the feather quill in the ink well.

"Navaz is supposed to send us grain in a couple of weeks. I know Farah is busy with the Adame's construction but I want her to be in charge of shipping." She signed the paper and held it over her head.

Gabrielle ran over and grabbed the document which was quite lengthy. "I don't think she's going to like that job."

"I don't really care," she spat. "She is queen here now and she must get used to that. Her life of leisure is coming to an end. And that girl doesn't know how to fight." She signed her name on three papers and threw them in her finished stack which was small in comparison to the other pile. "That would be a good job for my mother," she smiled smugly.

"Where is she anyway?" she asked the governor.

"She went hunting with Ebnedzar and Csaba this morning. I wouldn't expect them until sundown."

" _Perfect_ ," Ana grumbled.

Edemen ran into the yurt with hands over his ears. "Grandma Ana!"

"Yes,  _tatli cocuk_?" she didn't take her eyes off her papers and kept signing after quickly skimming through them.

"I can't take it anymore! So many crying babies." He sighed dramatically and ran his fingers down his face.

He felt like his ears were going to fall off and even begged his mother to go sleep in Ernak's yurt for awhile but she denied his request. With Yeter's son, whom she named Muqan, up at all hours of the night he was unable to get any sleep. Also, Nisa gave birth to her son, Utigur, two months after Yeter and she was in the room beside Farah's. Edemen also had his own brothers around him all the time who liked to stay awake at night whenever they pleased.

"I know it can be a little unsettling for you, Ede, but your living situation is only temporary."

"But they cry so much. I just want some peace and quiet!" he continued to whine. "Can I stay here with you?" he knelt down and she lifted her eyes while signing her name on yet another document.

"I'm a little busy. Why don't you go play with Kurt?"

He huffed and folded his arms. "He's with Nisa and the baby."

"What about Issik?"

"He's with his mom too."

Anastasia set down her pen and folded her arms, copying her grandson's expression of pouting lips. "Well, looks like you'll have to find something else to do."

He turned to Gabrielle and smiled with sparkling green eyes. "Oh  _Gabby_ …"

She lowered the paper from her face and spied on the prince's mischievous face. "I'm sorry but I have to finish this paperwork. Maybe we can play later?"

He groaned and slapped his knees, expressing his frustration of boredom. "Where's grandma Xena?"

"She's hunting right now. She'll be back later."

"Dammit!"

Anastasia's eyes widened and she pinched his arm to which he squealed. "Where did you learn to have such a foul mouth?"

He rubbed his arm and looked to Gabrielle who buried her face in her work. "From you."

She sighed. "You shouldn't pick up on that kind of language. But seriously, you can't stay. I'm very busy. Go find Cera. I'm sure she'll love to keep you company for awhile."

He groaned and stood. "Fine. I'll go be bored somewhere else!" he threw his arms in the air and stormed off.

Gabrielle snickered. "He is becoming more and more like his mother."

"Yes…" Ana pulled her short hair back and went back to signing the documents. "Remind me to tell my mother to train her when she returns from hunting."

* * *

The hunting trip lasted longer than expected and Xena returned early in the morning just before dawn. She was able to go to the bathhouse and not disturb anyone when she crept through the yurt and slipped into bed beside her wife.

Gabrielle had gotten up earlier than everyone to get ahead on all of her paperwork. This time, she was careful not to wake Xena. She also wanted to see the look on her face when Ana was to tell her that she was supposed to train Farah how to spar.

Anastasia walked into the bedroom and flung the curtains open. Xena opened one eye and squinted at the sunlight beaming in her face. She turned over and flung the blankets over her head and moaned.

"Mother…I have a very special job for you today."

"Whatever it is; no." she muttered under the blankets.

Ana ripped the blankets off and her mother snarled and tried to snatch them back. "I want you to train Farah how to fight."

Her mother stared at her blankly for a few seconds and then started laughing. "Farah? This is a joke, right?"

She sat on the bed and ran her fingers through her mother's long hair, missing her own. "No, it's not a joke and you want to hear the best part? She picked out an outfit to spar in," she smiled from ear to ear, ready for her mother to blow up at any second now.

"Anastasia," she began. "I know you mean well for that girl but she just isn't…combat material. I can't do this. I won't."

"I am ordering you. You have no choice. Gabrielle is waiting for you outside and Farah is getting ready so I suggest you get dressed and head out there!" she slapped her mother's shoulder and snapped her fingers with a simpering grin.

"Ana!" Xena yelled at her daughter leaving the room. She rolled over in bed and glared at the wall, dreading what she was about to do today. This wasn't exactly how she wanted to spend her morning.

* * *

Farah stood in front of the governor and her wife with a big smile on her face. She picked out her best polished black knee high boots, high waist pants and flowing burgundy tunic. She also braided her long hair so it would not distract her during today's lesson.

Gabrielle kept a huge smile on her face staring at the Banat queen who was so excited for today's lesson. Xena stood with her arms folded and biting her fingernail in silence for the last few minutes.

"Doesn't she look  _great_ , Xena?"

Farah's bright green eyes twinkled and she placed her hands on her hips. "What are we going to do today? Csaba taught me a few things back in Banat but we didn't really do much because of…everything that happened."

Gabrielle nudged her wife, eager to see how this lesson was going to play out. Xena ran her hand across her face and stepped forward, inspecting Farah's fine clothing. Her blouse was even made of silk, imported from Egypt or China most likely.

"You probably should have worn shabbier clothing for this…"

Farah grinned. "Oh these are old clothes. I never wear them. I thought they'd be perfect. So, Xena what shall we do? I must say I can hold a sword a heavy sword with one hand."

Xena raised her eyebrow. "And?"

"And that's it."

"Oh boy," Gabrielle chuckled in the background and Xena whipped her head around, glaring with wide eyes.

Xena scratched her head and mumbled, "Ana owes me for this." She grabbed Farah's hands and squared her hips to face to the side and spread her legs a part. "First thing first, you need to stand correctly when in combat. Bend your knees," she instructed and Farah bent both knees. "And keep your hands close to your face."

She took a good look at her and gave an affirmative nod. "Good. Gabrielle, you're up."

The governor grinned and stepped forward, getting into fighting stance. Farah's face drained of all color. "Is she going to hit me in the face?" she asked fearfully.

"Wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face of yours, now would we?" Xena smirked. "She's just going to teach you some blocking techniques. She won't hit you."

Gabrielle grabbed Farah's wrists and put them inches from her face. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." she slowly extended a fist towards the queen's face and Farah stood motionless, not knowing how to react.

Xena exhaled heavily out of her nostrils. She knew this was going to be a long day. She didn't understand why Ana wanted her to teach Farah how to fight. The woman was very intelligent and gifted in so many other areas; languages, architecture and engineering. She definitely wasn't a fighter. But Xena figured that to be a queen, one should know the basics of combat and that…which…Farah had none.

"Once we're done here you get to do pushups."

Farah gasped. "Pushups?!"

"Your arms are like twigs," she stated. "No offense."

Rabia came out of the yurt carrying Aladar who was crying and red in the face. Farah, distracted, looked over at her weeping son and her blouse instantly soaked. She looked down at her breasts and wrapped her arms around herself.

Xena rubbed her forehead. "Just go," she said and waved her hand.

"I'm sorry. I can come back in the afternoon?" Farah said and then rushed over to her son and grabbed him from her sister's arms. " _Uita-te la tine_ ," she whispered to her son and he breathed heavily. She wiped the spit off his chin. " _Suparat fara niciun motiv_ ," she said and he calmed down.

Gabrielle scoffed. "Well that was uneventful! We didn't even get to teach her anything!"

"Good," cheered Xena. "Now we can do something more fun like…fishing?" she hinted.

"You didn't get your fill hunting yesterday?"

"Of course I did. We caught two deer, three rabbits and a goat."

Gabrielle blinked her eyes rapidly. "You caught all of that in one day?"

"Ebnedzar is a very good hunter. So, what do you say? We go to the river? Just the two of us?" she stepped closer to her. "I've never been to this river before. We can explore."

"Explore? You? Are you sure you didn't contract that illness from Kreka?"

Xena frowned. "Let's not talk about her right now."

* * *

Arielle felt like spring flew by and now it was the beginning of summer. She enjoyed the brisk summer in Harran compared to the hot summers in Pannonia. Bayan had gone off to an excursion in the east of Assyria and planned to return sometime this month, leaving her alone in their home. The more time she spent a part from her family the lonelier she became.

She did have Ku by her side all the time and now she felt like she needed her more than ever. She used to hate it when her sister came into her room without permission but now that small annoyance was missed. The letters she got from Cera were the only connection she had with her family and she hadn't received a letter in months ever since Cera told her that their mother was moving the tribe up north.

There were some things she liked about living away from her family. She was a queen of her own tribe and could do whatever she pleased and Bayan allowed her to. The last few months spent with him were not as rocky as the other previous months. She realized a lot of things living on her own; she was a brat. She liked to have her own way at a time that was convenient for her. She didn't take her husband's words into consideration and it wasn't until Ku pointed it out to her that she took note of it.

Her thoughts on marriage were a lot different than she originally thought. Marriage was difficult and involved a lot of teamwork. She wasn't used to working with another person and now she knew why her grandmother was so upset with her all the time. Her parents gave her whatever she wanted and she took that for granted. Her father, especially, gave her anything she desired only because she fed into his guilt for being absent a lot from her life.

Ku came into the bedroom with fresh linen to put on the bed. She smiled at her and set down the sheets on a chair and began stripping the bed. She was not shy when it came to Arielle's hygiene and knew everything about her because she washed her clothes and sheets.

"Are you going to tell him?" asked Ku.

Arielle turned around and wrapped an arm around her midsection. "You can tell I've been avoiding it."

The maid smiled. "You cannot avoid it forever, your highness. Do you want me to make you some mint tea?"

She shook her head. "Ku, can I ask you something?"

Ku brushed her honey colored hair behind her ears and after she finished making up the bed she sat down and Arielle did as well. "You can ask me anything you want."

Arielle inhaled deeply and smiled, feeling really awkward. "When I was ten I said I'd never have children. I said the same thing when I was sixteen. And when I…" she trailed off and Ku stared at her with warm brown eyes. "Anyway, I don't think I will be a good mother. Do you think I'll know what to do?"

The maid nodded and pointed to the tattoo on her queen's shoulder blade. "A reminder of your guilt?" she hinted and Arielle's cheeks turned bright red. "You're not going to know what to do all the time, your highness. That is normal but I'll be here to help you. You aren't alone."

That only eased some of Arielle's worries. Ku was nice to talk to and be with all the time but she wished her mother was here with her. It would make her life so much easier. Just like her grandmother said to her, she had it pretty good in Pannonia.

She proceeded to ask another question, "Would you mind if go to Mass with you tomorrow? I know it's your day off."

Ku's eyes widened and she smiled. "Sure, I wouldn't mind but you do not follow the church, yes?"

Arielle shrugged. "We have several gods in my culture. Is that a problem? I just want to go to see what it's like. I've never been to Mass before."

"I'm sure you'll find it very interesting."

The two stared at one another for awhile and Ku averted her eyes and flushed cheeks. She stood up and smoothed out her dress. "Are you sure I can't make something for you?" she changed the subject.

Arielle ran her hand across her flat abdomen, once again reminding her that she had to think of someone other than herself. There was one entrée that reminded her of home and she hadn't had it in so long. "Do you know how to make manti?"

* * *

In their undergarments, Xena and Gabrielle took to the river to go fishing. But this was no ordinary fishing trip. Xena had her own way on how to catch fish and frankly, her wife didn't seem to like it. She did enjoy eating fish but she definitely didn't like to catch it especially the way that Xena liked to.

Gabrielle looked into the water and rolled up her sleeves, ready to catch a fish. She felt something pinch her thigh and she squealed. Frantically she spun around, eyeing for a fish that just bit her. "Xena, I'm so done with this. A fish just snapped at me!"

"That wasn't a fish," she teased with an impish smile.

"Wrong time, wrong place, Xena." She griped.

"Why are you in such a mood? We're spending time together and all you care about is if a fish is going to bite you." she wiggled her fingers, further worrying her disgusted wife.

Gabrielle shivered and felt something slimy in between in her toes and was anxious to get out of the river. "Couldn't we do something else? Like, I don't know, spar back at camp –away from the fish!"

Xena reached in the water and pulled out a large bass. She grinned and tossed it into her satchel on the grass. "Fishing's fun, Gabrielle. You surprise me sometimes. You can drive a sword through a Roman yet you can't catch a fish."

The governor mocked her wife with a churlish expression. "I don't know if I like you having all this free time."

"Jealous?" Xena winked at her wife and then pulled out another fish and threw it ashore. "We should have a party."

Gabrielle's jaw dropped. "That's it. There's definitely something wrong with you. A  _party_? You don't like those!"

The brunette shrugged a shoulder. "We deserve it –all of us." She said and Gabrielle cast a warm smile. "Besides, Nisa and Yeter didn't have senliks and I know the dragon lady loves those. She's been too ill to do anything. We could have a party for everyone to celebrate the victory over Rome and Oran's and Ernak's sons."

"Are you sure you're not sick?" Gabrielle joked. Her wife shied away from her gaze. "I think it's a great idea."

Xena waded out of the water and rolled up her soaking wet pants up to her knees and then sat in the grass. Gabrielle soon joined her and was thankful that this little adventure was over and she didn't have to be around slimy fish anymore. The longer Gabrielle stared at her wife the more she admired her in such a serene state.

Surely, not many women her age were as physically fit as she was, but neither were any of the women in the tribe. She remembered when she met Xena for the first time and she was horrified of her. Now, decades later, she wasn't able to keep her eyes off her for different reasons. The only thing different about her wife were the wrinkles around her eyes but she looked virtually the same.

Xena enjoyed looking at the ripples in the river and caught her wife staring at her. It caught her off guard and she chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing. Just admiring you."

"You're such a flatterer." She teased and leaned over, kissing her lips gingerly. She pulled away and put her finger to Gabrielle's lips. "Remind me to tell Ana that we need our own yurt. I love the girl but sharing a small space with her is not something I want to do again."

"Got it," the governor said and pushed her wife's hand away from her mouth.

* * *

Cera entered the yurt and was finally alone after spending a lot of time with Edemen over the last few days. She was increasingly becoming more and more irritated by her little nephew. He talked so much and you couldn't turn him off. Now that she was alone she could write her sister.

She sat on the floor and grabbed her parchment and pen then quickly wrote down everything that happened within the last few months. She tried not to go off on tangents. She knew Arielle didn't like to read a lot even though she was secretly good at it and never wanted to admit it.

Ursula walked in and folded her arms, staring at the girl's long red hair and heard the pen scribbling on the parchment. " _Tatli kiz_."

Cera gasped and put her hands over the parchment. She turned her head and smiled at the shamaness.

"Your mother is calling for you."

The princess nodded and put a blanket over her letter and walked out with Ursula. She was thankful that she wasn't questioned about what she was doing. That'd be an awful thing to explain and she really didn't want to.

Soran stumbled in carrying a bag full of paint brushes, paint and rolls of huge parchment. He spat out a paintbrush and dropped everything onto the rug. "Cera I got the stuff!" he yelled. Looking around the room, he couldn't find his step sister and frowned.

"Cera?" he walked around and peered behind the curtains where all the beds were and they were empty. He poked his head into the adjoining room.

Yeter was asleep curled under a wool blanket and Ursula was holding her grandson while whispering to Oran. Soran sighed and stepped backwards and heard a crunch beneath his boot. He bent down and threw the blanket off of the rug and saw a parchment.

He grabbed the parchment and his eyes widened. The letter only had a short paragraph so far but it was addressed to Arielle.

* * *

Gabrielle cracked her knuckles and grinned at the Banat queen opposite her. Over the last few days, they were able to get somewhere until they were constantly interrupted. Anastasia had Farah running around like a rabbit in every possible direction. She was in charge of construction of the Adame, food and supply shipments and now combat lessons.

Xena exhaled heavily and dreaded this every single day and she wasn't looking forward to this lesson at all. "No interruptions today, I hope?"

Farah shook her head. "I already fed my boys and they're asleep with Rabia right now." She gave her two thumbs-up and Xena rolled her eyes. "And I took care of the shipments this morning before dawn. Also I spoke with Ernak about my prints."

" _Enough_ ," Xena raised her hand and Farah zipped her lips. "Farah, you must concentrate. My daughter asked me to train you and I don't like for my time to be wasted. Gabrielle, please, would you get into position."

The governor nodded and stepped forward, ready for today's lesson. Last time she was able to show Farah how to block her face and lower legs. She hoped that she was actually going to hit her this time and maybe that the Banat queen would cower in fear.

The tall queen put a hand on her hip. "Shouldn't I be sparring with someone the same height as me?" she smirked at her petite partner.

Gabrielle frowned and swiped her leg around and knocked Farah off her feet. She yelped and landed on her side and gasped. "Size means nothing, Farah. I sparred with Arielle all the time and she was never able to get passed me. Get up."

Farah grunted and stood up then wiped the dirt off her pants. Angered by being humiliated she tried to punch her opponent in the jaw and Gabrielle grabbed her arm and flipped her over onto her back. Getting back up again she ducked when Gabrielle came for her again. She covered her head and Gabrielle wrapped an arm around her neck, choking her from behind.

Xena covered her eyes and couldn't bear to watch the disaster of a trainee before her. She knew this was a bad idea and she wanted to kill Anastasia for ordering her to train Farah.

"Let go of me! Please!" she begged and Gabrielle released her. She wrapped her hand around her aching throat and coughed a few times. "I'm hopeless. This is awful!"

"I agree."

Gabrielle punched her wife's arm after such a rude comment. She walked over to the slender queen and decided to go with a softer approach. "You'll get it, Farah. It takes practice. Csaba has been training since he was a little boy. It doesn't come overnight."

Farah frowned, feeling very defeated and it had only been days. She was so used to things coming to her easily throughout life that she was impatient during her training sessions.

"We'll practice more with blocking techniques," suggested Xena and that only frightened Farah more.

"Wait," says Gabrielle. "I have a better idea. Farah, you're good at math, right?"

The queen nodded.

"And you are familiar with geometry?"

Farah snorted. "It is what I do for a living –building machines and large architectural structures. Of course I know what geometry is!"

"Perfect. So, I want you to think of sparring like geometry."

Xena raised her eyebrow, listening to her wife's approach, intrigued by it. Farah seemed to understand better the moment she heard math combined with combat skills.

Gabrielle took a step back, ready to spar and put her fists up to cover her face. "Just think of geometry when you're sparring. Your body makes the same shapes and follows the same pattern as a circle or triangle, so just follow that logic."

"I see. So I use the algebraic arithmetic of body movements and I can calculate my opponent's moves?" Farah asked.

"Uh…" Gabrielle contorts her face in confusion. " _Sure_."

Xena chuckled in the background and took a few steps backward so she wasn't to be caught in the crossfire. "This ought to be good."

Farah studied her sparring partner, calculating the possible attacks. She put her hands up to her first and Gabrielle swung her arm around to smack Farah in the face. The slender queen jabbed her palm into the governor's elbow to which she let out a grunt.

Xena cringed watching the two and suddenly felt very bad for her wife. Quickly, Gabrielle tried to cover by trying to knock Farah off her feet again. Her leg was grabbed and twisted then she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Gabrielle moaned and put a hand to her aching shoulder and bicep.

Farah smiled, feeling quite proud of herself that she was able to knock the governor off her feet. "That was exciting!"

Xena's mouth remained agape out of shock. "Wow Farah…that was… _impressive_."

Gabrielle slowly rose off the grass. "Yeah,  _real_  impressive. You dislocated my shoulder."

"Oh, I'm so sorry…" she tried to help and Xena put up her hand then Farah backed away.

She helped put her wife's shoulder back in place and rubbed her sore achy shoulder. "See, you  _are_  a good teacher," she whispered and Gabrielle nodded, wincing at the pain she just endured. "Good job, Farah. You'll be working your way up to using a sword in no time."

"Really?" Farah was hopeful.

"Well…we'll work up to it but Gabrielle's math analogy was very helpful to you. I was very wrong about you," she gave a hard smack to the young queen's shoulder and Farah smiled nervously and rubbed her shoulder discreetly.

"What…what do you mean by that?"

Xena smiled sheepishly and her wife nudged her arm playfully. "She thought you were a ditz."

" _Gabrielle_!" she forcefully whispered and pinched the side of her wife's abdomen. "Farah, sweetheart, you're very smart."

Farah raised an eyebrow and crossed her thin arms, not impressed by the commander's ill attempt to save face. "I'm more than a pretty face. I know everyone thinks that I'm just a spoiled girl and that's all there is to me but it's not true."

Xena awkwardly laughed while her wife chuckled beneath her breath. She elbowed her in the ribs and Gabrielle inhaled sharply. "Well, ha, I  _know_  that…" she tried to save herself from further embarrassment but Farah was having none of it. "I'm sorry. I should have never thought that about you, Farah. You're part of my family and Csaba is lucky to have you as a wife."

"Are we done here? I have to work on the Adame with Ernak." Farah turned on her heel and stormed off in a hurry.

"Thanks a lot. You made me look like a jerk," Xena snidely said to her wife.

Gabrielle smiled. "Ah, come on. Stop being so sensitive. She'll get over it!"

* * *

Over an hour later Cera finally left her mother's yurt. She was itching to leave once her mother kept going on and on about the party that her grandmother wanted to have. She was patient with her mother and stayed, talking and listening to her. She knew that her mother missed Arielle a lot and now that her father was gone, her mother felt lonelier than ever so she was happy to stay in her mother's company.

When she returned to the women's yurt she found Soran sitting with her letter to Arielle in his lap. Her heart skipped a beat and she ran over to grab the letter. He leapt up and raised the letter high into the air so it was out of her reach. She begged him to hand it over and he darted across the room.

"You're a little sneak, Cera! You've been writing to Arielle while everyone is worried sick about her!" he yelled.

Her lip curled and she pressed her palms together and then signed with her hands. " _Please, she made me promise not to tell."_

"She's our sister and you've been lying this whole time! I'm going to tell your mother." He ran for the exit and she wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Cera, get off me!" he pushed her down onto the ground and she landed with a hard thud.

"Ömm Anastasia!" he yelled as he ran out of the yurt waving the letter in the air.

Oran hurried into the room over the commotion and ran to Cera on the floor. He knelt behind her and helped her sit up. "What happened?"

She wept and rolled up her long sleeve and saw a cut along her elbow from Soran pushing her down.

* * *

Anastasia stood towering over her daughter, holding the letter in her hand. Cera sat on the floor with legs tucked underneath, black dress sprawled around her and head bowed to her mother.

"I specifically asked you if you knew anything about Arielle's departure months ago and you said nothing!" she yells.

The princess winced at her mother's loud voice.

"You lied to me! I'm so disappointed in you, Cera. You never lie to me. Where is she?"

Cera shrugged her shoulders.

"Did she write to you? What did she say? Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Xena and Gabrielle walked into the yurt with good spirits, talking and smiling with each other. Xena halted and saw her daughter standing over a very frightened princess. Ana grabbed her daughter's chin and lifted it to meet with teary brown eyes.

"Answer me! I asked you a question!" she hissed and tears streamed down Cera's cheeks.

Xena stepped in and grabbed her daughter's shoulder and peered down at the weeping girl. "Anastasia, stop it. You're scaring her."

She shoved the half written letter in her mother's chest then paced around with arms folded, glaring at Cera. "She's been writing Arielle and has been lying to everyone about it!"

Xena read over the letter and frowned sadly at her distraught granddaughter. "Is this true, Cera?" she asks in a soft voice and the princess nodded. "And Arielle told you not to tell anybody about it, right?" she raised her eyebrow and Cera wiped her cheeks, lowering her head in shame.

She folded up the letter and creased it with her fingers. "What did she tell you in her letters?"

Cera dared not look into her mother's eyes and signed quickly, explaining that Arielle married Bayan and she is queen of the tribe they founded together. She almost mentioned Ku-Ilm, Arielle's handmaiden that traveled with her everywhere she went. She only wrote one letter because they were moving and wanted to wait to write her sister again and thought it'd be a good time to write Arielle and tell her about Ellac and the death of Odoacer.

Anastasia paused and tapped her fingers on her arms. " _Queen_? Queen of what tribe? She can't just proclaim herself queen without my permission. Cera, you're going to write her and tell that I know the little secret you've both been keeping from me. And you're going to tell her to come home."

Xena eyed her wife who sat in a chair, listening. Gabrielle shook her head. She was sharing the same thoughts as her wife. "Ana, threats aren't going to help. Cera, you can go now."

The princess stood up slowly and Ana raised her hand. "I decide when she leaves, not  _you_ , mother."

She stepped forward, coming into her daughter's personal space. "You're being unreasonable. Cera, leave."

Cera backed away slowly then darted out of the yurt. Gabrielle rose from the chair and grabbed her cloak to head into the bedroom. She learned last time to never step in between the two. She waited by the doorway and cleared her throat.

"Um, I need to get through," she said as they were both blocking her way. "I'll just be…outside."

Anastasia lost the staring contest with her mother and took a step backward, unwilling to challenge her in an argument. "You have no authority here, mother. I was asking Cera a question that she refused to answer."

"No, Ana. You were interrogating her. You scared her half to death."

"But she lied to me!" Ana plopped down in a chair and ran her fingers through her hair.

Xena sighed and pulled up a chair and leaned her elbows on the back, staring at her daughter. "Anastasia, I know you miss Arielle but she's obviously safe and it's pretty clear that she doesn't want to be found. She knows where the new tribe's location is and if she wants to come home, she will."

Ana scoffed. "You sound like Kreka."

"What?"

She waved her hand, dismissing the topic. "Why can't I write her? I won't expect anything back. I just want her to know that I care."

"She knows you do. If you do decide to write her, don't demand that she come home. That will only push her away. Speaking from experience," she smiled and nicked her daughter's chin.

"Can I come back inside now?" Gabrielle called out of the yurt.

Xena kissed her daughter's forehead and spun round from the chair. "Yes, Gabrielle."

The governor cautiously entered and flung her cloak over a chair, eyeing the two women carefully but they kept staring at her strangely. "Cera was really upset. She ran off crying."

Ana sighed. "I've been so worried about Arielle that I've ignored Cera since I came back from Balaam. I'll go talk to her."

"Talk. Not interrogate."

" _Okay_  mom…" she rolled her eyes and left.

Gabrielle ran her finger along her wife's arm and smiled. "So, Arielle's a queen huh? Looks like she got what she wanted after all."

"It's like Navaz always says: that girl gets whatever she wants."

* * *

Bayan ran his fingers through his wife's silky straight hair. He always preferred her hair wild and full of an abundant of long curls, but she insisted that Ku iron her hair. Ku even put on special oil in Arielle's hair to keep it straight for a couple of months at a time until it lost its shape.

His hand traveled down her bare inked arm and then to her semi-flat abdomen. Arielle removed the parchment from her eyes and stared at his wondering hand. He gave her a pearly white smile and kissed her stomach.

She whacked his head with the parchment and he laughed lightheartedly. "Stop that."

"I'm excited to be a father." He sat up in the bed and pulled his long hair into a topknot. "Did you go see the physician? Do you know when the baby will be here?"

"Yes, I saw the physician," she eased his concerns. He waited patiently for her answer to his second question. "Fall, early fall."

Bayan nodded. "Great! I can't wait. Can I get you anything?"

"No thank you." She went back to reading the map of Assyria. "What do you think about conquering the east side? There has to be plenty of people who'd want to join us."

He stared at her oddly and pulled the parchment away from her face. "Hey, why are you so focused on that? Leave that to me. You take care of our baby."

Arielle frowned. "I can do two things at once, Bayan. So, what do you think? East or south?"

Ku walked in with a tray and a letter tucked into her belt. "Your highness," she greeted Bayan and he gave her a brief nod. "A letter from your sister," she said to Arielle.

"Finally!" she cheered and tossed the map aside and crawled across the bed and snatched the letter from her handmaid. She ripped open the letter.

Her eyebrows creased and she lowered her sister's letter. Bayan looked at the distress in her eyes and waited for her to say something.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Ellac died a few months ago in Balaam…" she says softly and Bayan rubbed her shoulder. "Cera must be devastated." She tried not to think about it and inhaled deeply then kept reading. With a strike of fear within her, she tossed the letter aside and Ku frowned, disturbed by the queen's behavior.

Bayan grabbed the letter and finished reading it for himself since his wife fell silent. "Your mother knows everything?!" he spat. "I knew she was going to find out sooner or later."

Ku folded her arms and stared at Arielle. "What does this mean? Will you write back?"

Arielle shook her head. "No, I'm not writing anything. My mother is just crazy enough to trace the messengers' paths from here to Pannonia."

Bayan slipped on his pants and Ku averted her eyes. "Your mother is not crazy, Arielle. She is a tad overprotective of you."

"A tad? Try a lot! I'm definitely not going to be receiving anymore letters from Cera now. My mother surely lit a fire under my sister over this. This is my fault. I should've never put Cera into this position."

Ku tried to sympathize and show her concern. "I'm sure your mother is just worried about you."

Arielle grunted and slipped off the bed and stripped of her dress and grabbed her pants and tunic. "I'm going to the archery range." She dressed quickly and slipped on a pair of flats instead of her boots and jumped up above the bed to get her war bow.

Ku frantically grabbed her cloak and swung it over her shoulder. "Wait! I am supposed to go with you!"

* * *

Gabrielle was reading over a few papers sent by Navaz and the grain was supposed to come in today but it didn't and now she had to deal with Farah. She hated to deal with frustrated queens and Anastasia was in the same boat, equally as frustrated. While she was stuck in the yurt going over paperwork, her wife decided to do something she normally wouldn't and go to the market with Cera to look for fabric.

Csaba barged into the yurt and yelled, "Is it true?"

She yelped and she threw parchment into the air. Spinning around, she breathed heavily and then knelt down to pick up her work. "Is what true?"

"That Arielle married that asshole?"

"Yes…" she grumbled, "it's true." She struggled to gather her papers and compile them in a neat stack.

"If I ever see him I'm going to beat him senseless!" he promised. He paced around the room, ignoring the governor struggling on the floor. "Who does he think he is? You know, I bet this was his idea. He lured her into running off with him. And then he marries her!"

She lifted her head, watching him pace around anxiously much like his mother would. "I'm sure Arielle went on her own accord, Csaba. She follows no one's rules but her own."

"We should send scouts to look for her. I'll go myself. I can find her in no time." He smiled, thinking of his brilliant plan.

"Csaba!" she stood with an unkempt stack of papers in her arms. "Nobody is doing anything without your mother's permission."

"Who cares what she says? I'm the king now."

Ana walked in with two oil lamps and frowned. "What do you need my permission for?" she came in on the tail end of the conversation.

"Mother, I wanted to send scouts to find Arielle. You can't honestly want her to be married to Bayan. And she's supposedly a queen now too but without your council and permission. That is against the rules. She should be brought home."

She set the lamps on a table. "No."

"No? But mother –"

"I said no!" she yelled in his face and he backed away. "This is not up for discussion. Go help Farah with the Adame. Go on." She shooed him off with a flick of her wrist.

He groaned and stomped off. Gabrielle threw down the parchment and was yet caught in another tense room. She looked over at Anastasia who was trying to keep herself busy.

"He seems really upset."

The queen nodded. "I sent someone to track the messenger after Cera sent the letter. Arielle is very smart. The letter was passed through several cities to different messengers to get to her. I do know she lives south from here."

Gabrielle half smiled. "If you love something, you let it go. You can't trap it in a cage."

Anastasia crinkled her eyebrows and turned to the governor. "What did you say?"

"I said if you love something, you won't keep it locked in a cage. You set it free."

She recalled something similar her mother said about Navaz when he decided to divorce her several years ago so she could be with Ellac. It was not the same situation but it was similar enough. She tried so hard to keep her daughter close to her that she only pushed her away and now she realized she needed to stop otherwise Arielle may never come home.

"Thanks Gabrielle. I really needed to hear that."

Cera came back from the market with her grandmother and they both entered the yurt. Xena smiled at her wife and daughter and clasped her hands on Cera's shoulders. "We brought a lot of fabric back for the party. Cera picked out most of it."

"Did she? I'd love to see them." Ana grabbed her daughter's hand and together they left the yurt.

Xena raised her eyebrow and walked over to her frazzled wife. "She's in a good mood."

"Yeah, I'm glad that  _she's_  in a good mood."

"Why don't you uh…stop working for awhile? You've been killing yourself over these documents. Nobody likes to read for hours on end. Hey, why don't we do something that  _you_  want to do?"

Gabrielle's eyes beamed with excitement. "No…fish?"

Xena wagged her head. "No fish."

"Yes!" she squealed and kissed her wife's lips and Xena widened her eyes. "We can spar first. No, wait, we can sew some more kozaks together. I have a whole lot to finish. I made a new one for you. Then after we can spar in the fields and watch the recruits suffer Ernak's wrath."

The commander laughed and shook her head at her wife's enthusiasm. "Whatever you want, I'll do it."

"We're going to have a great time! Then we can bother Kreka for some of those pastries. She made some for Kurt and Nisa this morning."

"So we're definitely going to raid her room." She was on board with the idea.

Gabrielle smirked. "And then maybe when we're finished with all of that we can go fishing if you'd like."

"I can fish anytime I want. I want to do something that you want to do."

"Thanks," she bobbed her head slowly. "But I promise we'll have a good time."

"I always have a good time with you."


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52 – _Returning to Your Roots_

Farah spent the last three months training with Gabrielle and so far she knew how to block really well. She certainly knew how to dislocate someone's shoulder and Gabrielle hated that her wife laughed at her pain. For a slender woman, Farah could definitely knock someone to the ground in a flash.

Now, she was supposed to train with a staff because Xena didn't want sharp objects anywhere near her with Farah around. She was afraid that she'd have her eye gouged out by Farah's erratic movements. Gabrielle didn't want to be hit in face with a staff so she sat this one out.

Xena hated to do this but she brought in someone who knew how to use a staff very well and Farah was going to hate it. Yeter walked out into the field, wearing pants and a dark tunic and her long thick hair coiled into a massive bun atop of her head.

Farah tried to get the feel of the staff in her hands and she turned around and scowled. "Oh, no, no. I am not training with  _her_!"

Gabrielle rolled her sore shoulder back and tried to work the kinks out in her neck. Her wife pinched the nape of her neck and heard a pop in her collar bone. "Ow! What the hell!" she spun around and slapped Xena's arm.

"You feel better, don't you?"

She huffed. "A little…"

Xena smiled and stepped forward, grabbing Farah's shoulder. "Gabrielle's going to sit this one out. Yeter is very good with a staff. She volunteered to help train you."

"I'll  _bet_  she did."

Yeter grinned and twirled the long staff with one hand while the other rested on her shapely hip. "Let us see what you got, Farah. I'm sure I'll be able to knock you off your feet in two seconds at best."

"Let's just get this over with."

Gabrielle stepped back and heard her wife chuckling beneath her breath. "I don't know if this is such a good idea, Xena. This is going to get ugly."

"That's precisely the point, Gabrielle."

"Excuse me?"

Xena turned with an impish smile on her lips. "I want to see how Farah responds to anger in a fight."

"You are evil."

Yeter set up the staff accordingly in her opponent's hands and then showed her a few techniques to block an attack. She slowly swung the staff and Farah angrily stared at the Gokturk queen and blocked the slow attack instantly. Gabrielle's tip about geometry helped a lot and now that she was using an object, it was even easier.

"You could attack quicker. I'm not afraid of getting hit," suggested Farah.

Yeter raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Alright, if you insist."

Farah was the one to make the first move and she fiercely swung the staff in several directions and Yeter blocked each move and backed up slowly as she was being pushed back by the lithe Banat queen. The two met face to face, holding onto their staffs. Yeter's dark eyes glimmered and she forced all of her weight on the staff, and Farah was able to resist it. Blood pumped through her veins as she glared at the Gokturk.

"I'm surprised at how nimble you are Yeter, with all the extra weight you're carrying," she snidely said.

Yeter's smile faded and she head butted her opponent and Farah stumbled backward and put a palm to her aching forehead. Gabrielle covered her eyes and sighed heavily.

"Oh god. I can't watch this."

Xena snickered. "I can. Farah, she's coming in on your right, remain focused!" she called out.

But it was too late. Yeter whacked the queen in the jaw with the staff and Farah fell to her knees. Xena cringed and saw blood trickling from Farah's mouth. Gabrielle uncovered one of her eyes and gasped. Yeter was coming for her again and Farah got up slowly and jabbed the staff in her midsection and then whacked Yeter's backside.

* * *

Ernak was in charge of the digging portion of the Adame while Csaba and Oran were guiding the soldiers moving furniture inside the front of the Adame. With all of their hard and dedication over the last nine months being in the Hills, they were able to finish half of the Adame. Now it was livable in the front and lower rooms and upper rooms on top.

But they had yet to finish the other quarters for the remainder of the extra family members so they had to stay in their yurts for now. The immediate family could be moved in within the week.

Ernak turned at the sound of staffs clashing and yelling from afar. He put a hand over his eyes from the bright summer sun and saw Farah and Yeter sparring with each other. He laughed and saw Farah having her ass handed to her by the Gokturk queen.

"Hey, guys!" he yelled to his nephews. Csaba and Oran lifted their heads in his direction. "Your wives are really going at it up there!" he pointed to the field ahead.

Csaba swiftly turned around and saw his wife neck in neck with Yeter. They abandoned their staffs and were rolling on the ground. Oran sighed and turned away from the fight.

"I am not getting involved with  _that_ ," said Oran.

As much as Csaba hated to see his wife getting repeatedly punched in several parts of her body, he had to agree with his cousin. "I'll take a hard pass." He turned around and focused on the soldiers moving furniture.

* * *

Xena watched the two queens squabbling on the ground like children and folded her arms. "Alright, that's enough!" she yelled and they continued to fight. "I said that's  _enough_!" she walked over and grabbed Yeter's arm and threw her to the side.

Gabrielle put a hand over her beating chest, relieved that that was over. She expected this lesson to turn out this way and was a bit unnerved that her wife allowed it to get this far. Farah sat up slowly and wiped the blood from her mouth.

Yeter wiped her bloody nose on her blouse and breathed heavily then ran a palm over her slicked back hair. She didn't seem as upset as her sparring partner and reached for the staff on the ground and smiled.

"You have a nice left hook, Farah. I look forward to our future lessons together." She gave a shimmering smile and walked down the hill.

Farah snarled and leapt up to attack the woman and Xena pulled her back onto the grass. "Farah," she began and wiped the blood off her cheek. "You can't get that angry during a fight. You lost focus."

"But she attacked me!"

"That was the point. You showed poor judgment just now and you're badly beaten because of it. You managed to make her nose bleed but look at you."

The queen looked down at her ripped blouse, dirty hands and cut up arms as well as her swollen bottom lip. She groaned and was aided up off the ground and brushed the dirt off her pants. "Well, I am not training with her again just so she can muck me up."

"Oh yes you are. Yeter is the same size as you. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Farah snorted. "As if. I am much thinner than she is."

Xena rolled her eyes. "I was talking about your height. You're nearly as tall as Anastasia. I'd have you spar with her but I don't want you to end up with any broken ligaments. You will continue to train with Yeter until your anger subsides."

Farah snatched up the staff and stormed down the hill, picking grass out of her hair.

Gabrielle walked over to her wife with a disapproving look in her eyes. "You knew that was going to end badly yet you let them fight like two weasels."

Xena shrugged her shoulder. "Farah needs to learn to control her anger. She's a hothead."

"It isn't easy to train a woman who's had everything handed to her on a silver platter."

"We've been working with her for four months now. I think she's doing well. Plus I just love it when she and Yeter go at it. They are unstoppable. They really don't like each other!" she cackled, enjoying her entertainment for the day.

Gabrielle punched her wife's bicep and shook her head. "They're at competition with each other."

Her wife sneered and turned at the sound of horse hooves. She squinted her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "What's Navaz doing here?"

"I don't know. Maybe he came here to discuss something with Ana?"

* * *

Arielle did not care for children even at a young age, despite being around children constantly throughout her life, she didn't like them. She did agree to give her husband a child and it was strategically planned unlike most of the children in her family that came as surprises over the years. When she told Bayan that she was pregnant he was thrilled and told everyone in Harran.

Gifts were brought to their home and Arielle suddenly felt very overwhelmed with the amount of attention she received. All of the small arguments that she had with Bayan felt so miniscule after she found out she was pregnant. She was somewhat relieved that the bickering stopped between them.

She thought she'd feel overjoyed just like Bayan was, but she wasn't. She was apprehensive and lonely, despite Ku being around her constantly. With two months away from delivering her child, the feeling of anxiousness and nervousness swarmed in her mind.

She wondered if any of the women in her family felt exactly what she was feeling right now. Farah was very eager during both of her pregnancies and even Yeter, the gloom and doom queen, was happy to have a child. She wished she felt the same way.

Arielle stood in front of the fireplace to warm her body from the end of summer rain roaring outside. She kept her eyes fixated on the flames flickering. She hadn't missed her family as much as she did at this very moment.

Ku walked into the living area with a tray of tea and small bowls of an assortment of finger foods. She placed the tray onto the floor and looked over at her queen. She admired Arielle's long dark straight hair and preferred her hair to be curly but Arielle insisted on having it ironed.

"Will you come sit?" she asks politely. "I made food for you."

Arielle sighed and sat down on the floor slowly with the help of Ku's aiding hand. She pulled her long hair behind her shoulders and stared at the food. She smiled weakly at her maid and picked at the bread and pickled vegetables.

She picked up a pickled pepper and smiled. "My family in Balaam pickles everything. My mother hated it when she lived there."

"It keeps well in the summer," said Ku. She reached for a glass and poured tea then handed it over to Arielle.

The young queen chewed the pepper slowly and looked down at her child and frowned. Regardless of being in very good shape physically, she did not like the changes her body went through, especially this last month. She was sore in places she never thought could be and her hips, once tapered and lean, now were much wider and ached all the time. She had to change her wardrobe a couple of months ago and resorted to dresses Ku made for her. The fabric clung to her shapely hips and narrow waist in spite of her expanding abdomen.

She cursed herself for ever making fun of Farah as she thought it was amusing but being pregnant was not fun or amusing –it was awful. She remembered Farah being so excited about her children that the most uncomfortable and awful things about carrying a child didn't seem to matter.

Ku chuckled at the queen's flustered face and Arielle lifted her puzzled eyes. "I'm sorry but you stare at your belly as if you're carrying a hell beast."

The queen cracked a smile and ran a palm over her restless child and lost her appetite. She set down the pepper back into the bowl and her smile disappeared and Ku stared at her with warm eyes which soothed her anxiety.

"Do you think I should go see my family?"

Ku smiled. "If that's what you want to do, I'll come with you."

Arielle reached over and grasped her hand. "Thank you for being here for me. It means a lot."

"I'd do anything for you. You're my queen." The light haired brunette emits a warm grin and squeezed the queen's hand.

"But I hope…you are also my friend…?" Arielle felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

Ku kissed her hand and looked into Arielle's glossy blue eyes. "Friends," she agreed.

The queen nods a bit shy and embarrassed to expose her feelings for the Harran maid. She pulled her hand away and grabbed the glass of hot tea. "My mother is going to be very shocked to see me like this."

"I'm sure she'll love and embrace you no matter what, your highness."

"Arielle," she interrupted. "Please call me Arielle."

Ku's cheeks flushed. " _Arielle_ ," she whispers. "You frequently spoke of your mother's overbearing behavior towards you. Are you not worried when she sees you that she will smother you with overprotective attention?"

Arielle smirked and nursed the tea in her lap. "I am…actually looking forward to the attention." She sips the tea. "She won't be able to keep her hands off me," she jokes. "She will probably want to have a senlik and I normally don't like them but it will make her happy."

Ku listened intensely, soaking up all the information. She hid her eagerness to meet Arielle's family deep inside. She had wanted to meet them for a long time.

"Explain to me what this 'senlik' is. I wish to know more about your culture if I am to meet your family."

Arielle raised her eyebrow and chuckled at her friend's anxiousness. "Well, first, I will tell you about all of my family members. There are a lot. Maybe you should grab a pen."

* * *

Anastasia told Navaz about the letters their daughter and Cera have been exchanging secretly for months. She explained that she sent her people to track the letter but they came back unfruitful but that was months ago. Gabrielle and Xena were listening in on the conversation.

Navaz rubbed his beard and smiled at Ana. "At least she's alright." He grabbed hold of her hand and she lowered her eyes awkwardly and slipped her hand away. "So, um Gabrielle, Safiya wants a list of all the best soldiers you have. She's worried that Balash is going to strike the Gokturk territory. He's still at that camp in middle Persia."

Gabrielle nodded. "Sure, I can compile a list for her. Just give me a few days. How long are you staying?"

"As long as I need to."

Xena sensed some awkward tension in the room and pinched her wife's arm. "Gabrielle, remember we promised to play that game with Edemen?"

The governor frowned confusedly and her wife widened her eyes. "Oh right,  _that_  game! Yeah, sure." She got up off the floor and smiled at the two monarchs and left the yurt to be anywhere else but here.

Ana laughed nervously and rubbed her forehead. "They couldn't be more obvious."

He took off his cape and relaxed, leaning on his elbow to support his weight. He smiled up at her and she brushed her hair behind her ears, rocking back and forth anxiously. "How are you doing?"

"Good. I'm doing good," she said and they both let out a nervous laugh. "Navaz, what are you doing here? You could've written. You didn't come all the way up here to tell me that Safiya needs soldiers, did you?"

"Of course I did. That is not a lie, but yes, I came here to check on you."

"I told you I don't need to be looked after. I'm a big girl," she teased.

He smiled and traced his fingers along her arm. "I know you are."

He sat up and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. She smiled nervously, trying to hide her flushed face. He grabbed her chin and turned her face towards him. He kissed her lips softly and pulled away, smiling widely.

She meekly grinned and ran her hands across his leather armor and reached behind and unbuckled the straps. She pulled his vest off and stripped his arms of the long leather gauntlets. Navaz blinked at her abrasiveness and pulled the beige tunic over his head and tossed it aside.

Her eyes enlarged at the sight of his large chest and broad shoulders. Her fingertips grazed his olive colored skin as if she were seeing him for the first time. She didn't remember his frame to be so large before but the last time they shared a bed together it was eighteen years ago.

Navaz grabbed one of her roaming hands and she gasped. He smiled and reassured her to relax. He unlaced her blouse and slipped it over her head. He pulled the laces in the back of her brassiere and it fell to the floor. She was quick to cover her bare breasts.

He looked at her figure and it was much like he remembered it to be; slender, soft yet muscular in all of the right places. He pried her arms away from her chest and forced them to her sides. "You don't need to be afraid of me, Anastasia."

"I'm not afraid of you."

* * *

Kreka was hovering over a hot pan and pulled the last piece of puffed bread out of the cast iron pan and wagged her stinging finger. The bread flopped onto a plate and she grabbed a chair to help her stand and held the plate in the other hand. She spun around and gasped loudly at the sight of the commander and governor standing in silence.

"God!" she hissed. "Xena! Don't do that!"

Xena eyed the fresh hot bread. "Is that gozleme?"

"Yes…"

"Did you stuff it with peppers or onions?"

"Onions.  _Why_  are you here?"

Xena snatched one of the breads and split it half and tossed the other half to her wife. They happily sat down on the mound of pillows, each snacking on the freshly pan fried bread.

The khatun rolled her eyes and set the plate of bread on a table. "That was not for you."

"You made ten loaves. I'm sure you can spare just one." Xena winked and grabbed another piece of the flat stuffed bread. "Or two."

"Why are you two in here? Don't you share a yurt with Anastasia?"

Gabrielle spoke with half her mouthful, "well, you see, we had to leave. Navaz is with her. So we decided to come bug you. Also, it's raining outside. Wouldn't want us to spend the night in the rain would ya?" she smugly smiled and finished chewing.

"I suppose you think you're both going to spend the night in this yurt."

"Pretty much," said Xena with half a smile.

Kreka's upper lip quivered at the two women smiling up at her. She grabbed a wooden spoon to stir the sauce she was making and pointed it in their faces. "It is crowded enough as it is in here with Nisa, Kurt and the baby. I don't need you two sleeping here! Go stay with Farah."

"Farah? With those three children plus Csaba and Rabia? No thank you."

"Then go stay with Ursula."

Xena put up her hands. "I don't share sleeping quarters with shamans. She might do something to me in my sleep."

Kreka rolled her eyes and moaned dramatically then walked over to the pan with the sauce and stirred it quietly. Gabrielle chuckled and finished off the gozleme and wiped her hands on her pants. "What are you making?"

"Nothing for you." she answered the governor and kept stirring.

"Ooooh, the dragon lady has a bite tonight. You must be feeling better then. Let's play a game," suggested Xena.

Kreka smacked the spoon on the pan and furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't want to play a game."

"Oh well. We're playing a game and you're going to enjoy it. So, chess?"

"Xena, you're trying my patience."

"Chess it is then."

* * *

After the rain let up in the morning, Gabrielle ran over to the yurt and peeked inside before she entered. She was supposed to grab the remainder of her belongings and paperwork so she could move her stuff into the Adame. She convinced Xena it was time they lived with everyone else and after a lot of complaining, she relented.

Gabrielle pushed the curtains back and saw Anastasia's arm sprawled across Navaz's bare chest. She slapped her hand over her mouth, staring at the two in bed together sleeping soundly. Grinning smugly she turned and left to go rat out the queen to Xena.

"Xena! Xena!" she yelled and jumped onto her back.

The commander grumbled and elbowed her wife in the ribs. Gabrielle gasped for air and slid off her wife. "God dammit, Gabrielle. It's too early for this."

"Xena…you're not going to believe this but…I saw Ana and Navaz together."

"Yes? What's your point?"

"In bed.  _Together_ ," she wiggled her eyebrows. "You understand what I'm saying?"

The realization hit her wife and Xena's eyebrows rose and her eyes widened. " _Oh_ …" she suddenly felt super naïve for leaving her daughter with her ex-husband. "She's very lonely."

"At least she was with someone who cares a lot about her. I've always liked Navaz. He's very kind to her."

"He is. I just hope she's of sound mind."

"I think she knows what she's doing. She misses Ellac and went to the next person who cares about her the most and knows her the best." She said and her wife frowned. "I mean, aside from you."

A few hours later, Xena and Gabrielle were being extremely nosy, eyeing the yurt. Finally, Navaz walked out dressed in his leather armor and cape slung over his shoulder. Gabrielle let out a mischievous laugh and got a slap from her wife.

Anastasia walked out soon after, running her fingers through her mid-length hair. Xena and Gabrielle both rushed over, alarming the late drousy queen. She frowned at their goofy looks on their faces and felt like she had been watched the entire evening.

"What's with the faces?"

"You and Navaz do a lot of talking last night?" implied her mother.

"A little bit yes." She side stepped them and headed towards the women's yurt.

Gabrielle ran over and blocked her path. "Where you off to?"

"I have to get something."

"Herbs?" she hinted with a beaming smile.

Anastasia folded her arms and turned to her mother who had a smug look upon her face. "Yes, herbs for my tea. Can you move? I'm in a hurry."

Xena blocked the entrance to the large yurt commune. "Oh, herbs for your tea, huh? Would you be getting these  _herbs_  from Ursula?"

The queen felt her heart racing and her eyes darted back and forth at the two women. "You know," she stated with a blank expression.

Gabrielle's fingers trickled on her shoulders and Ana shivered. "Oh, we  _know_. I can't believe you had sex with him, Ana!"

She covered the governor's mouth. "Don't spread that around. I was…lonely. I wanted to be around someone. Navaz has always been there for me even when Ellac was alive. Is that so bad? It's not like I was sleeping with a stranger," she breathed heavily, feeling judged. "Can you two get off my back?!" she shoved them aside and entered the yurt.

Xena stifled a laugh and leaned against the yurt with folded arms. "In all my years of knowing that girl, I've never seen her so embarrassed."

"I guess the coast is clear. I can get my paperwork."

Ana came out with a bag of the herbs she collected from Ursula and glared at her mother and accomplice. "We are never to speak of this again."

"Whatever you say, Ana."

* * *

Weeks of traveling weighed heavily on Arielle. She left a message for Bayan since he wasn't home at the time she wanted to leave. She took Ku with her all the way from Assyria, across the Black Sea and to north Pannonia which was a lot further than her original home.

They stopped on the outskirts of Matra Hills and saw all of the yurts and half built Adame ahead. Arielle smiled softly and felt like she was going to vomit. Her stomach was unsettled especially with traveling for a couple of weeks. She used to be fine when she traveled for long periods of time but now, it was such a chore and uncomfortable for her.

Ku trotted up beside her and grabbed her hand. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes…" she inhaled and exhaled deeply and stared at all of the yurts. Everyone must have been sleeping still or just waking up. "When we come into the camp they're going to sound the horns so don't be alarmed."

"I'll be right here with you," Ku encouraged her.

Arielle nodded and slowly trotted towards the camp. When she approached her people, there were no horns sounded which she was sort of glad. She felt Ku's hand on her back and she smiled warmly at her. When she entered several women were outside their yurts, filling up buckets of water to take back to their homes. All of the men were most likely asleep.

All of the women turned when they saw ride in and they whispered and smiled at her. She shyly waved at them and Ku glanced around, intrigued by the way these Huns lived. She was so accustomed to the tall stone buildings in Harran that seeing hundreds of yurts around one another was an oddity.

Csaba was out and about, awake earlier than everyone else. He was supposed to continue the construction with his uncle and he was patiently waiting for him and Oran to join him. As usual, they were both late, probably up playing games with their friends and drinking wine until dawn.

He turned around at the whispers surrounding him and his jaw dropped. "Arielle," he muttered. "Arielle!" he yelled and she whipped her head around. She smiled, waving her hand. He ran quickly across the field and pushed some people out of his way.

Arielle kept smiling widely, very eager and excited to her older brother. He skid to a stop and kissed her hand. She swung her hair behind her shoulder and he helped her off the horse carefully. He held her hands and looked at her belly and frowned.

"Where is he?" he asked, immediately looking for Bayan.

"Csaba, please," she begged.

He smiled softly. "Sorry. I missed you!" he kissed her cheeks.

"Me too." She stared up at him and he cupped her face. She looked around at the camp with curious eyes. "This is a very nice set up here. The Adame you're building is a lot bigger than our old one."

"Yes, we'll be finished by winter hopefully if Ernak and Oran get their asses up for work. Hey, wait here. Let me get mother."

He took off before she could say anything. She wrapped her arms around herself, nervous to see the look on her mother's face. Ku wrapped an arm around her and she jumped. "It's going to be alright. You'll see."

* * *

Csaba rushed into his mother's yurt while she was still getting dressed. She grabbed her robe and covered her brassiere. " _Tatli cocuk_!" she yelled.

He turned around with a beaming smile. "I'm sorry mother, I didn't mean to walk in on you but I have exciting news."

"Couldn't it have waited until I was dressed?"

"Arielle is outside. She came back."

Ana paused and pulled her arms through the robe sleeves. "Csaba, I'm in no mood for my emotions to be toyed with right now."

"I'm not lying, mother! She's right outside!"

She tightened the sash around her waist and ran passed her son, outside, barefoot and her hair unkempt. Her eyes went to her daughter who was waiting with another woman. Their eyes finally met and Arielle smiled at her. She ran her fingers through her hair a few times and she felt a lump in her throat.

She sprinted across the field and Arielle panicked and she put her arms in front of her so her mother wouldn't crash into her. She wrapped her arms around her daughter, squeezing her tightly. She ran her palm alongside her daughter's straight silky hair.

"Arielle…" she whispered.

The former princess sobbed softly and clutched onto her mother's robe and dug her face into her mother's hair. Anastasia couldn't keep the smile from widening and she pulled away, wiping the tears off her daughter's face.

"Arielle, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I missed you too, mother. A lot."

Ana sighed and stepped back to look at her daughter. "Your hair. You ironed it," she noticed and touched the long straight locks. Her eyes dipped downward and her eyebrows rose. "And…you're pregnant.  _Very_  pregnant."

Arielle sensed she was about to get lectured and fearfully looked into her mother's eyes. "Are you upset?"

"I…I'm just so happy that you're here. Come with me. You must be exhausted." She grabbed her hand and dragged her daughter along.

Arielle looked over her shoulder at Ku and her handmaid smiled warmly. She reached behind her and grabbed Ku's hand so she could tag along. The horses were tended to by the soldiers who waited at the entrance of the camp.

"The man who hugged you; is he your brother?" asked Ku and Arielle nodded with a happy smile.

* * *

Arielle and Ku sat in the queen's yurt with three pairs of eyes on them, specifically on Arielle. Anastasia couldn't wipe the smile off her lips. The Harran queen awkwardly stared her grandmother and Gabrielle and everyone sat in silence for quite a long time, uncertain of what to say or start with. She expected her return to home to be a lot more stressful but she was so wrong. It wasn't anything like she thought it'd be. Her mother wasn't lecturing her and her grandmother wasn't either.

Ku played with her thumbs in her lap and stared at Arielle's mother then cast a shy grin. "Your mother is very beautiful, Arielle."

Anastasia raised her eyebrow, staring at the maid. Arielle's cheeks flushed and she grabbed Ku's hand firmly. "Um, this is Ku-Ilm," she introduced her properly, "she's my handmaid. She's been a great help to me over the last few months."

"How kind of you," Ana said curtly. "You may stay in the yurt with Farah's chambermaids, Ku."

Arielle frowned. "No I want her to stay with me."

"She's a handmaid, Arielle. She cannot stay with you."

Ku lowered her head, a bit embarrassed and sensed the tension that her queen mentioned to her of the superior Hun queen. "It's alright. I will go get our luggage from the horses." She smiled and stood slowly with her queen's firm grip on her wrist. "I won't be long."

Arielle nodded, anxious enough as it is. She watched Ku leave the yurt and sighed heavily then shot her mother a glare. Xena and Gabrielle shared a knowing look with one another and then turned to Arielle.

"So, she's your handmaid," stated Xena and Arielle whipped her head round. "She's in love with you."

"Grandma," she let out a nervous laugh. "No she's not. That's ridiculous."

"You're right. What do I know? I'm only three times your age." She shrugged her shoulders and Gabrielle smirked. "Anyway, where is your husband?" she hinted and Arielle toyed with her long hair. "He let you come here all by yourself? What kind of husband does that?"

"He doesn't own me. I can do what I want," she spat her grandmother. "I left him a note. He should be on his way here soon. He was away at the time that I left."

Anastasia raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "Cera told me that you are a queen of a tribe. What tribe might that be?"

And here comes the lecturing that she was afraid of. Gabrielle stepped in before there was to be any arguments had. "Ana, she just got here. Maybe you can grill her later. I'm sure she's really tired."

She was about to protest until Gabrielle made a symbol of a bird with her hands and started flapping her fingers like a bird's wings. Ana sighed and smiled at her daughter, pushing her interrogation to the side.

"Right, of course. You're welcome to take your grandmother's and Gabrielle's room. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. We will talk more when you're rested."

Arielle watched them all leave and then called out to her mother and Ana walked back over and knelt down eagerly. "I hope…you weren't hard on Cera. It wasn't her fault. I made her promise not to tell anyone."

If only she could go back in time and erase that entire session she spent yelling at Cera. She stared at her eldest daughter curiously and was shocked to see that she put the blame all upon herself. It was definitely out of character for her. Growing up, Arielle never blamed her problems on herself and cast them on someone else who was more vulnerable. She could be very manipulative at times. Ana sensed much change in her daughter aside from her physical appearance.

She cupped Arielle's face. "Just get some rest for now."

"Are you busy? Can you stay with me?"

Ana's eyes lit up. "Sure, I'll stay."

* * *

Gabrielle and her wife took a stroll down towards the river with no intention of doing anything except to clear their minds. Xena tore off pieces of a large piece of grass and tossed them behind her, making a trail. Gabrielle bent down by the river bed and gathered a few rocks then skipped ahead to catch up with her long-legged wife.

"Arielle seems different," she says and throws one of the rocks into the river to see how far she could throw.

Xena nods slowly and bit the grass stalk with her teeth and spat out the remainder, whilst making a disgusted face. "She's lost that smart mouth of hers. Perhaps moving away was the best thing for her."

"I don't know, Xena. She seems unhappy. Did you see how clingy she was with her handmaid? She even asked Ana to stay with her! That is so unlike her."

The commander shrugged a shoulder, unsure of what to say or think anymore. The moment she saw Arielle walk through the yurt she wasn't surprised. She had a hunch that Arielle would come back home even if Ana thought otherwise. Kreka apparently thought and knew the same but Anastasia was so desperate to have her daughter home that she'd do anything to get her back.

"Leaving your family at sixteen is not easy and she thought married life was going to be sunshine and rainbows. She discovered it wasn't," she smiled weakly at her wife.

Gabrielle skipped another rock across the water and cursed when it sank to the river's floor. "Were you afraid when you left home at seventeen?"

"Of course. I didn't know what to do with myself. My brothers wanted this perfect life for me." She threw the chopped up pieces of grass into the river and grabbed a wheat stalk up ahead to occupy her mind.

She adds, "My brothers wanted me to get married and live in Amphipolis for the rest of my life. I never wanted that for myself."

"Yet you regret not marrying Borias when you had the chance."

"I do. I was a really stupid teenager, Gabrielle," she chuckled and her wife grinned from ear to ear. "I thought I knew everything. Arielle reminds me of myself. She thinks she knows what's best for her but in reality, she doesn't. What does a seventeen year old know about the world? Nothing."

"Now Arielle is the same position as her mother," the governor exhales deeply. "Although she's two years older."

Xena shook her head. "Arielle is nothing like Anastasia. They're polar opposites and it's why they argue all the time. She's lucky that she has a family to run home to. I sure didn't. I just had Borias with me. My life would've been so different if he were alive."

Gabrielle nodded. "Yes it would have…"

"I didn't mean that as a knock against you," she quickly corrects herself and her wife squeezed her shoulder, reassuring her. "Arielle left wherever she's been staying because she wanted something familiar around her. She's lonely despite living with Bayan."

"I still can't believe she proclaimed herself as queen. Anastasia was ready to ream her."

Xena grinned and broke the wheat stalk in half and poked the sharp end into her wife's arm teasingly. "That girl is just going to have to learn that Arielle beats to her own drum. She follows nobody's rules and it drives…Ana insane!" she hisses with wide excited eyes.

"Don't tell me you enjoy seeing your daughter so frustrated…" Gabrielle gave her wary look.

"No, but she still hasn't figured Arielle out yet and she never will as long as she keeps up her stubborn outlook on things."

Gabrielle tapped her chin. "Stubbornness. Wow, why does that sound so  _familiar_? I wonder where she gets that from."

Xena crinkled her nose and pushed her wife close to the river, threatening to fall in. "Borias was stubborn  _too_. We never agreed on anything together but we were a good team in battle and commanding an army. When it came to Anastasia, I wanted to be in charge of everything and look…I got what I wanted," she winked.

"Not the way you hoped though," she said and her wife lowered her gaze and her smile disappeared. "You always want to be in control and you've learned to step back over the years. Do you sense that Arielle has the same mindset?"

"She's going to have to learn the hard way. She won't listen to anyone and now that she will have a child soon, she will learn very quickly that she's not in control of everything. She'll learn, you'll see."

Gabrielle scoffed and scratched her head. "You  _knew_  she was going to come home!"

"Ah yes because I am all seeing, all knowing," she joked.

* * *

Arielle sat on a bench inside the large bathhouse while her mother poured the oils into the steaming water. She folded her arms and felt self conscious of herself and hid her arms from her mother, knowing she was going to flip her lid the moment she saw all of the tattoos on her body.

Ana turned and dried her hand. "You can get in now."

Arielle smiled nervously and stood up, approaching the water slowly. She pulled her long hair into a bun and stared at the water. Her mother was patiently waiting for her to disrobe and Arielle pulled the sleeves passed her wrists, careful not to expose her arms.

"You don't need to be shy, Arielle. I'm your mother. Now get in before the water gets cold." She tried to take the robe off and her daughter tightened the sash beneath her breasts. "Arielle…"

She sighed, knowing that resisting wasn't going to work. Her mother pulled the robe off and she gasped at the sight of her inked arms, half of her back and a few on her ribcage. She trailed her fingers along her daughter's arms and looked at her back which was partially inked as well.

" _Cildinizde mürekkep baligi var_ ," she mumbled.

"Did you just call me a squid?" Arielle frowned and wrapped her arms around her swollen breasts.

Ana smirked. "You've been away from home too long. You misinterpreted what I said." She tossed the robe gently on the bench beside the bath and grabbed her daughter's arm, leading her to the bath. Arielle carefully let herself slide into the water and sat on a bench in the hot bath and leaned against the wall.

Lifting her head she smiled at her mother. Anastasia grabbed a cloth and squeezed the hot water onto her daughter's shoulders. Arielle looked down at herself beneath the water and creased her eyebrows together. She picked at her fingernails and saw her mother's long fingers grabbed her wrist.

"Is the water too hot?"

"Oh…no, it's perfect. Thanks."

Ana poured water from a carafe onto her daughter's shoulders and Arielle closed her eyes, enjoying the water on her skin after weeks of traveling. "Arielle, I know you just got here but I wanted to ask how things are you with you and Bayan? You were pretty defensive towards your grandmother. She just cares about you."

"I know. The truth is Bayan and I…we argue sometimes."

"A lot?"

Arielle shrugged her shoulders. "Not so much anymore. When I told him about the baby, we stopped arguing so much. I promised I'd give him a child."

"You aren't happy about it?" Ana paused and set the cloth down and leaned forward, staring into her daughter's teary eyes. She kept this a secret from her daughter but it definitely wasn't a secret between her, the khatun, her mother and Gabrielle.

"Arielle, I'm going to tell you something you're not going to like to hear," she began. Arielle turned around and rest her arms on the edge of the bath, eager for her mother's wisdom for once. "The only reason you're here is because I promised your father to give him an heir if I could be commander of his kingdom."

Her daughter's jaw dropped. "You didn't want me?!"

"No, I didn't say that, but I thought I didn't for awhile. I was also trying to get your grandmother, Tuya, off my back. She was pressuring me for an heir for a year after I married your father. I know you loved her a lot but she made my life a living hell. She hated me until the day she died."

Arielle quirked her mouth to the side, she couldn't contest that her late grandmother could be rather harsh sometimes and she wasn't very easy to get along with. "She was always picking fights with you."

Ana nodded. "I'm not telling you this to upset you but you're doing the same thing with Bayan. Your father and I got married too quickly and we fought a lot too. But when you were born everything changed and we became the best of friends. We're still friends and care a lot about each other."

"So, what you're saying is that after the baby is here, I will change my mind?" she seemed doubtful of that. "Mother, I can't do this. I will be a horrible mother. I don't know anything about raising a child."

" _Arielle_ ," she laughed lightly, "you think I knew what to do when your brother was born? I was younger than you are now! I had a lot of help from my mother, Gabrielle and Kreka. In fact, if it weren't for your brother, I think your grandmother and the khatun would've killed each other."

The Harran queen cracked a smile and bit her bottom lip, thinking of those two. They were always taking jabs at one another on a daily basis. Their relationship was never going to change. She hated to see what they were like when they were younger considering the stories she's heard.

"When I was in labor with your brother I tried to talk myself out of it."

Arielle snorted. "You  _what_?"

"I was having some serious doubts at the moment but everything worked out fine just like it will with you. It's okay to feel apprehensive and afraid. Everyone has those fears. You aren't any different than any other woman on this earth, Arielle. You aren't alone."

Arielle felt relieved to hear her mother say that. Ku said the same thing but it wasn't the same as it was coming from her mother. Some of her fear left her mind and she settled back into the water and turned around.

"I'm glad I came back."

"Me too," Ana smiled and poured the remainder of the soapy water on her daughter's arms. "Does…this mean I get to throw you a senlik?"

Arielle sighed and hung her head. She was dreading this topic. "Fine…"

* * *

Farah was trying to twirl the staff with two hands and kept dropping it repeatedly. She was to copy Yeter's movements but she dreaded training with her. Gabrielle suggested that Yeter stay far away from Farah until she learned to control her rage with the Gokturk.

Xena stared at the Banat queen with a blank expression, almost emotionless. Her wife peered up at her, worried that she was holding in some residual anger. "Something bothering you?"

"Yes. Farah is so bad at this. I can't bear to watch this for another minute."

Arielle was able to catch up with her little sister a couple of days after coming home. Cera was so thrilled to see her and felt like a piece of herself was missing from her life. She told Arielle everything that happened in the camp and in Balaam, including Ellac's death. She went into detail about Dengizich's passing as well which was just as horrible if not worse.

She had yet to see Soran and when she found out from her sister that he was the one who blabbed, she was apprehensive to speak to her little brother over the matter. She wandered the camp with Ku by her side much to her mother's annoyance. She saw Farah trying to twirl a staff and failing miserably at it.

She grabbed Ku's hand and head over to Gabrielle and her grandmother. Xena turned to her granddaughter and smiled warmly. "Good morning."

"I don't know if it's a  _good_  morning, but it's a morning," she replied.

"What's going on?"

Gabrielle cleared her throat, "your mother wanted us to train Farah how to fight. We've been working with her for four months."

Arielle nodded and cocked her head at the Banat queen squeal at the staff almost hitting her in the face. She bent down and picked up the staff and Farah met eyes with her. "You dropped this," she tried to hand the staff back to her sister in law.

Farah raised her eyebrow and looked at the pregnant princess and snatched the staff. "Well, look at you. My, how the tables have turned."

"Farah, I…I'm really sorry I was so mean to you. My brother picked an amazing woman to share his life with and I'm sorry for all the things I've said to you."

Xena blinked, surprised at her granddaughter's sincere apology. She wasn't expecting anything like that to come out of her mouth, at least not in her lifetime.

"Well…" Farah was stumped for words. "Thank you."

Arielle smiled. "Hey, I can show you how to do that if you want. It's not as hard as you're making it out to be."

Gabrielle folded her arms, copying her wife's stance. "Behold, something out of the ordinary that we never get to see," she told her wife and chuckled.

"Yeah…Arielle being  _nice_. I thought I'd never see that."

"Do you think they'd notice if we…slipped away? Arielle seems to have a handle on this."

"If you go first, I'll follow you." she didn't want to be here anymore than Gabrielle did and the two were engrossed in conversation anyway. Farah was listening intently to all of Arielle's points, trying to soak everything in.

* * *

They were able to slip away from the training lesson and entered Ana's yurt. They halted with big smiles when Anastasia glared at them. "Why aren't you training Farah?"

"Oh…about that," began the governor. "Arielle's got it covered."

" _What_? You're letting her train Farah? Mother, she's pregnant."

Xena bent down and squished her daughter's cheeks together with her palms. "I'm well aware. She's not made of glass, Ana. She knows better than to actually spar."

Gabrielle sat down and grabbed the abundance of fabric sprawled out across the floor. She picked up the black fabric with gold trim. "What's this for?"

Ana swatted her mother's hands off her cheeks and Xena winked then sat down beside the governor. "Arielle agreed to let me throw her a senlik. I'm picking out fabric for her dress. What do you think about the black fabric? It's very nice."

"I like it but is she actually going to allow you to play dress up with her? You know she hates dresses."

"She's already wearing them anyway."

Xena scoffed. "And hating every minute of it, I'm sure."

"Hey, she already agreed to the party. She can't take her word back on it now." Ana grabbed the black fabric and sprawled it over her lap. "Oh and…mother, would you –"

"No."

Gabrielle grimaced. "You aren't going to make a dress for your granddaughter?"

"The last time I made a dress, I was chastised by everyone. So, no. Ask Kreka to do it."

"She can barely do anything right now much less sew. Please, mother. Please? I'm no good at sewing."

"Fine but only I get to work on it. Nobody else has a say in it."

"Thank you!"

Arielle walked in with Ku by her side and all eyes were on them. "Oh, a hen house. Excuse me while I make myself scarce so you three can continue talking about me." She stepped in between them to the other room.

"Arielle!" called the blonde. "What do you think of this fabric for your dress?"

She sighed and turned around, eyeing the black and gold fabric. "It's nice. Very pretty. I'm going to grab my bow. I have a date with my brother."

Anastasia stood up and grabbed her daughter's hand. "You're going to go shoot?"

"Yes? I do this all the time. I already promised Csaba yesterday I'd go to the range with him."

Xena leaned back on her elbows and told her daughter, "just let her go, Ana."

Ana turned and there was Gabrielle making flapping hands like a bird again. She scratched her head and smiled at Arielle. "Okay, but be careful."

"Thanks mom and I promise you'll have me all to yourself once I catch up with everyone." She kissed her cheek and went to get her bow. "Oh grandma, I'm assuming you're making my dress?"

Xena forced a smile. "Yes…yes I am."

"I just want something simple. Also, Gabrielle, can you make the kozak for me?" she asked nicely.

Gabrielle nodded excitedly. "Wow sure, I'd love to."

"Thanks, you always make really pretty headdresses. Well, I should go. Csaba is waiting for me." She held her bow and grabbed Ku's hand and left to find her brother.

"I got to say, she's much better to be around. She should have gotten pregnant a long time ago!" Gabrielle joked, laughing lightly and then got a pair of glaring eyes on her. "Oh, um, that's not what I meant. Never mind, don't listen to me." She sunk down and wrapped arms around herself.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53 – _Family Feuds_

Within the week and much to everyone's anticipation, the entire family was able to move into the lower and upper rooms of the newly built Adame. All of the queen's quarters were upstairs, unlike the previous home. Kreka's room was now upstairs instead of on the first floor. Anastasia's room was in the center and had the largest suite of two adjoining rooms along with a bath. Farah and Csaba's quarters were on the far left and had one extra room attached. Everyone else was to live downstairs.

After much convincing, Gabrielle finally told her wife that they should live in the Adame with everyone else instead of being secluded in a yurt outside. Xena liked her privacy and only agreed to live in the palace if the room was in the back of the Adame, far from everyone else.

Arielle agreed to stay in her mother's quarters for the time being. She didn't have the heart to tell her that she'd eventually return to her tribe but for now, she'd like to have a nice visit with everyone. She sat on the floor while Gabrielle pinned the veil to the headdress for the party.

Gabrielle mumbled and grabbed Arielle's head to straighten it out so she wouldn't poke her with the needle. "Stop moving unless you want to get stabbed in the face."

"Sorry, Gabrielle. I'm just admiring this place!" she beamed. "Farah did a really great job designing the Adame. There must be twenty five rooms! Our other home only had seven."

Xena sat a few feet away working diligently on the dress. She also had Cera to help hand her needles and thread if needed. She lifted her eyes, briefly eyeing her content granddaughter. "Arielle, are you going to tell us where you've been hiding out at?"

She'd been pretty discreet about her location but now that she was here, it was no use to keep it a secret anymore. "I…moved to Harran, Assyria. Bayan and I claimed it as Hun territory so I guess it's part of the empire now."

"No, it's not," said Gabrielle. "You need to sign papers with your mother and brother to make it official. You know the rules."

"Yes…" she hung her head and then got slapped in the arm by her seamstress. "Sorry." She held her head upright and straightened her back, trying to remain as still as possible. "You can convince her right, Gabrielle?"

And there was that manipulative nature of the princess that everyone was familiar with. The governor leaned downward at the sheepish teenager. "You're a queen, right? You need to talk to your mother like an authoritative figure. If you want to be taken seriously as a queen you need to act like one and that means you need to present your case to your mother and debate with her until you get what you want."

Xena smirked, hiding her pride she had for her wife's knowledge about the empire and its rules. "This is why it is important to pay attention in your lessons."

Arielle nodded. "I know and I'm sorry I didn't listen to you two more. I regret it a lot. I'm such a brat."

"Yes you are," Xena agreed.

"Well you didn't have to agree so quickly!" Arielle said with a smile and her grandmother reached over and pinched her cheek. "I met…someone in Assyria during one of my excursions. Her name is Madhiya. Do you know who that is?"

"Never heard of her," her grandmother said flatly and focused on sewing.

Arielle studied her grandmother's dismissive attitude and lack of eye contact. She pressed further, "She says she is Bleda's wife. I found her being interviewed by a Roman man. She's the governor of the Yakut tribe. She said you convinced Attila to kill his brother. Is that true?"

Xena frowned and stuck the needle into the pin cushion and glared at the princess. "You stay far away from that woman, Arielle. She's of no use to you."

"You  _do_  know her!" she squealed and then Gabrielle stabbed her head. She grimaced and was reminded to sit up straight once more. "She made it very clear that she hates you. I mean, I would too if I found out someone convinced the king to murder my husband."

"Bleda was not murdered!" she yelled, alarming Cera and her wife. "She wasn't even there. Whatever lies she told you are void. Attila killed his brother because he was an awful person and he would've destroyed the empire. I had nothing to do with it. I watched and that was it."

"But she –"

"This discussion is over."

Gabrielle took the kozak off Arielle's head and set it down on the floor carefully. She glanced over at her incredibly angry wife who went back to sewing to distract herself. Arielle seemed indifferent about it all but she didn't continue the discussion.

Farah ran into the room with a box and dropped it on the floor in front of Arielle. "I brought all of my boys' baby clothes. My chambermaids made them. You can pick out the ones you like the best or take them all. I have two more boxes full of clothes."

Arielle felt foolish for not thinking about clothing for her child. She didn't even think about clothes as it was the last thing on her mind. Smiling, she went through the box and pulled out some very expensive clothing made of silk and Egyptian cotton.

"Farah are you sure I can take all of these?"

"Of course! Take however many you want. My sons have more than enough clothes. Csaba says that I spoil them but how can you spoil a baby?" she sensed Arielle was overwhelmed and sat down with her. "I'll help you go through them."

* * *

Bayan rode into the Matra Hills camp and it had been a long time since he was in Pannonia. He eyed the large Adame and the soldiers surrounding it, building onto it. He took a few of his own men with him on the journey and was a bit irritated that his wife took off without him but even if he did say something to her, she wouldn't listen anyway.

Csaba and Oran were in charge of overseeing the remainder of the Adame's construction. They were supposed to watch the men on the ladders all day and help out with digging periodically. Out of the corner of Csaba's eye he saw Bayan about to enter the Adame, walking up the long flight of stairs.

He dropped the shovel and wiped the sweat off his forehead then ran over to the stairs and beat Bayan to the top. Bayan stepped back, nearly losing his balance. Csaba smiled and folded his muscular arms. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm here to see Arielle. She asked me to come." He didn't want to fight and then he looked behind him at Soran and Oran at the bottom of the staircase.

There was no way he could fight off Csaba or Oran but he could probably take the lanky teenager, Soran. He tried to side step Csaba and his path was blocked at every chance he tried to pass by. He knew he wasn't well liked by Arielle's brothers, especially Csaba, and his presence here wasn't welcome by any of her family members it seemed.

"What a fine young man you've turned out to be, Bayan. Did you enjoy deflowering my sister?"

Bayan furrowed his thick eyebrows and once again tried to pass and Csaba shoved him backwards. He clenched his fist and inhaled deeply to calm himself. "I just want to see Arielle. I know she's inside."

"I think we should have a little chat first. You don't mind chatting do you?" Csaba said with a big smile. "You've caused my mother a great deal of pain by taking Arielle away."

"I didn't take her. She wanted to come with me."

"If it weren't for you, she would've stayed here where she belongs!"

Bayan smirked. "If it weren't for  _me_ , she would be stuck here doing nothing and been miserable."

Csaba's eyebrows rose and punched Bayan dead square in the face. Before the former Kidarite prince could recover, he threw him inside the Adame and Bayan slid across the polished wooden floors. He knelt down and grabbed Bayan by the collar and head butted his forehead not once but twice.

Ernak waltzed through the hallway into the foyer, reading one of Farah's prints and there Csaba and Bayan were on the floor, fighting with each other. "For fuck's sake." He rolled up the parchment and slipped it into his vest and marched over to the squabbling men.

"Hey this is a brand new floor. I don't need any blood on it. Take it outside you two," he said with no intention of stopping them.

Xena took a much needed break from sewing and left the room to get some air. Her mind was focused on Madhiya and was really disturbed that Arielle actually spoke to her. She never met the woman before but Attila made it clear that she was never to step foot in Pannonia again and neither was her entire tribe.

She looked over the balustrade on the second floor and witnessed Bayan and Csaba in a wrestling match and Ernak watching with his arms folded. She leaned her palms on the railing and watched the two fight and they were almost an equal match by their height and weight. Sadly, she was enjoying the fight and hoped Csaba knocked Bayan's lights out.

Anastasia joined her and frowned at the horrible sight below. Xena straightened herself up and looked over to her displeased daughter. "Are you going to stop them?"

"No."

Xena nodded. "Alright then."

Arielle, Farah and Gabrielle came out of the room after they were finished sorting the clothes. Arielle, in good spirits, walked over to her mother and grandmother who were both lingering over the railing. She smiled and stepped in between them to see what was so interesting. She gasped and at the sight of her brother and husband beating one another to a pulp.

"Oh my god!" she yelled. "Mother, you are letting this happen?"

Anastasia folded her arms and chose not to look her pained daughter in the eyes.

"Csaba! Stop!" she yelled and her brother paused right before he was going to sock Bayan in the face for the third time.

He released her husband and stood up slowly, blood flowing down his chin and neck. She shook her head and sent shocking glares at her mother and grandmother who stood by and did nothing. Her eyes swelled with tears and she hurried back to her room.

Gabrielle huffed and sent glares towards her wife and Anastasia who both had the same stoic expression. "I hope you're both happy. You've upset her now."

* * *

Bayan was brought to the infirmary which was a new addition to the Adame thanks to Farah. The previous home did not possess an infirmary for the ill and injured and had to resort to going to an outside healer in the camp. Gabrielle tended to his wounds and he passed out soon after the fight with Csaba.

Xena sat in a chair, gawking at the Kidarite, unsure of what to think. She was mostly shocked that Csaba beat him in front of everyone and Ana did nothing to stop it. Her wife was more distressed than she was, she could tell given the silent treatment.

Gabrielle wiped the blood off Bayan's forehead and sighed, squeezing the damp cloth in the murky water basin beside the bed. "I can't believe you did nothing to stop this."

The commander frowned and crossed a leg over her knee. "I asked Ana if she was going to but she said no. Don't blame this on me. Csaba did this to him, not me."

"In all my years living with everyone, I've never seen something like this happen before. Not even you inflicted pain on Ellac when you crashed his courting ceremony. You didn't harm him yet it is somehow different when it comes to Arielle?" she glared at her wife. "This shouldn't have happened."

Xena hung her head and stared at her polished boots, contemplating what she could have done but it was too late anyway. Csaba had his fill with Bayan and not even Ernak did anything to stop them from fighting.

"Anastasia would've been heartbroken if the same thing happened to Ellac back then," she says and Gabrielle wiped the cloth across Bayan's jaw and fragile nose. "I can finally say that she is worse than I am. Maybe if Ana had brothers of her own, they would've done the same thing."

Gabrielle sighed and wiped her hands on a fresh cloth. "Maybe, but that doesn't make it right either way. Arielle is very upset."

"Csaba's had it out for Bayan ever since he came to Pannonia six years ago."

Bayan finally came to and opened his eyes, groaning at his aching muscles. He sat up in the bed gradually and then his blurred vision became clearer and he gasped at the commander sitting beside him and the governor in close proximity to him on the bed.

He already dealt with Arielle's brother and what a poor greeting that turned out to be. He didn't want to deal with her grandmother either or her mother but he was alive so he thanked his blessings for that. Xena inched closer to him and he evaded her, scooting away.

"You have a broken nose and minor fractures to your ribs but you should be good to go in a few weeks," Gabrielle informed him.

"I shall thank the king for that then," he replies in a snarky tone. "Are you two here for the second round of beatings or should I expect the queen at any moment?"

Xena raised an eyebrow. "Lose the smart mouth, boy. I don't fight people when they're down and defenseless."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Csaba should have never came at you like he did. He's not normally like that."

He nods and rubs his sore jaw. "I'm sure he reserved his feelings just for me," he sarcastically said and both women kept their eyes on him, watching his every move. "I understand that he cares for his sister, I really do. But I have not harmed Arielle in any way."

" _Really_?" Xena leaned back on the chair, doubting his words.

He leaned forward, not afraid of what might happen to him at this point. "I'd never hurt Arielle. You can hit me as much as you want."

"Is that an invitation?"

Gabrielle pinched her wife's arm. "Shut up, Xena. There will be no more fighting from here on out. I don't think Csaba is going to apologize to you so…I'm sorry."

Bayan half smiled. "I wasn't expecting an apology." He rolled out of bed despite his bruised and cracked ribs. "Can I see Arielle now?" he asked with a smile.

"Um, I'll go see if she wants to see you…" Gabrielle said and glared at her wife very distrusting of her agenda and interests.

He waited by the bed and turned to the commander who had a devious smile on her lips. "So, Bayan." She slid herself off the chair and onto the bed and wrapped an arm around his neck and forced him to take a seat next to her.

"If you're going to hit me just get it over with."

"Oh no, no. I'm not going to hit you." she pulled him close and his eyes widened. "Injured and defenseless. That's what you are. I told you I don't harm those who are injured or defenseless. Can't go back on my word."

"I know what you do to people. You kill people for a living. Why shouldn't I be afraid to be around you…alone…in a room?" he held his breath and heard his heart beating in his ears rapidly.

She scoffed. "I do more than kill people! Nobody ever gives me any credit for what I do," she angrily expresses herself and then looked at the frightened Kidarite. "You shouldn't fear me. Save that fear for Navaz."

Bayan's olive skin turned snow white. "Arielle's father is coming  _here_?"

"Why, yes, yes he is. Don't worry; he's not a violent man. I should have you know that Arielle is very precious to him. Make sure to be on your best behavior." She playfully slapped him on the shoulder and he grunted. Xena grinned, enjoying inflicting pain and fear in the boy and she didn't even have to try.

* * *

Arielle lay in bed sobbing uncontrollably for the last couple of hours. Ku sat with her, holding her hand and continuously wiped the tears from her cheeks. Farah even stayed and sat behind Arielle, trying to make her feel better. Apologizing for her husband's actions against Bayan didn't seem to help and only caused more weeping from the former princess.

Ku sighed and didn't like to see her queen in such distress. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Farah nodded. "Yes, Arielle, what can we do for you?"

Arielle breathed out heavily to calm herself down but tears kept flowing. She was exhausted from draining her body by sobbing for hours and the horrible and frustrating thing was that she couldn't control it.

Aside from Farah's past rocky relationship with Arielle, everything went out the door and she became super supportive of her. "Hey, don't be upset, Arielle. It's not good for your baby."

Gabrielle entered the room cautiously and sneaked in. She smiled at Farah trying her best to comfort Arielle and Ku doing the same. Closing the door alarmed Ku and she cringed, cursing herself for not coming in as discreetly as she planned to. Too late now, she thought.

She approached the bed and Farah lifted her head. "Your mother is talking with Csaba."

Arielle frowned and dried her eyes then squeezed Ku's hand firmly. The one person she was so excited to see for the last few months was now on the lowest totem pole.

"Bayan wants to know if you're up to seeing him."

She sat up and brushed her hair behind her shoulders. "Yes…I want to see him. Where –where is he?"

Gabrielle smiled awkward and rubbed the nape of her neck. "He's with your grandmother right now in the infirmary."

"Gabrielle!" she yelled. "I can't believe you left him alone with…with  _her_! She's going to kill him!"

"She's not going to hurt him, Arielle. I promise you she won't."

Farah slid off the bed. "I'll go get Bayan."

Arielle wiped her flushed cheeks and stared at her sister in law in disbelief. "Thank you…why are you being so nice to me? I was so horrible to you."

Farah shrugged a shoulder. "You were a child, Arielle. You're my husband's sister. I'll always be here for you." she says with promise and left to retrieve Bayan.

"Gabrielle…why did you leave grandma alone with him? I don't trust her."

The governor snickered softly. "Your brother did a pretty good job messing him up. She's not going to touch a hair on him unless she wants to deal with me later." she went on, "He really cares about you. He was willing to get socked by your grandmother in order to see you."

Arielle wagged her head. "He shouldn't give her that option. I have much to teach him." She tugged on the knots in her hair and Ku quickly grabbed the hair brush and handed it to her. She thanked her and ran the brush through the knots gently.

Gabrielle noticed the closeness between the two women and she couldn't figure out why Arielle was blinded by Ku's love for her. Arielle had several maids growing up who washed her clothes and cleaned her room but she paid no mind to them on a daily basis, but this was different. Ku was more than a handmaid. She was someone to lean on when Arielle was in pain or lonely.

The way that Ku looked at Arielle reminded Gabrielle of how she looked at Xena all the time. She couldn't figure out if Arielle was oblivious or chose not to acknowledge it given that she was married to Bayan. Although, Gabrielle wondered if Bayan clued into his wife's relationship with the handmaid. If he did know, he didn't show it or he didn't mind it because he knew that Ku's intentions were not malicious.

"Ku, would you mind getting Arielle's dress and kozak? I believe they're in Anastasia's room."

Ku nervously looked at the large double doors that separated Arielle's suite from Ana's. "Am I allowed to go in there without the queen's permission?"

Gabrielle smiled at the handmaid's reserved nature. She admired her for taking such pride in her job and respecting others. It was refreshing to see around here. "I give you permission. She's not in her room right now anyway."

The handmaid made her way over to the doors and opened one of them, poking her head inside to make sure the coast was clear before entering. Arielle was busy brushing the knots out of her hair and looked up to see Gabrielle's serious face and arms folded.

"What?"

"I don't know if you're blind or you choose to ignore it."

Arielle half smiled. "I don't follow."

"Arielle, that woman is in love with you. She looks at you in a way that a handmaid shouldn't."

"Not you too…" she groaned and set down the hairbrush. "Ku just cares a lot about me. She's been there for me when I had no one else. She's my friend and I trust her."

Gabrielle raised a suspicious brow. "She was sleeping in the same bed as you. Handmaidens don't do that. Does Bayan know that she does that?"

"Yes!" she was irritated that this subject was being brought up again. "He knows and he doesn't mind so why is it such a big deal for you and everyone else here?"

Ku returned with the kozak and gown, smiling at the two. Gabrielle took one last look at Arielle and grabbed the items from Ku. She thanked her with a brief smile then left the room.

* * *

A few days after the awkward family reunion, Arielle refused to see her mother. Everything had been going so well until Bayan arrived but now Arielle was on a mission. She called a meeting with her mother so she could present hers and Bayan's case to include their tribe in Harran into the empire.

Out of respect and courtesy, the meeting took place in Kreka's room as she was too ill to leave her room and come downstairs and she had to be a part of the meeting. The only thing that was disconcerting to Arielle and Bayan was that this meeting was more complicated than they expected. Kreka was present but so were Anastasia, Csaba, Ernak and Farah, since they were all in charge of Pannonia and the entire empire now. Gabrielle joined them to take notes and Xena sat off to the side. She didn't need to be involved in the meeting since she technically was stepping down as commander.

Arielle and Bayan nervously looked at the row of monarchs staring at them, specifically Csaba and Ana. Arielle cleared her throat and clasped her hands together, ready to get this awkward meeting started.

"Thank you…for agreeing to meet with us. Bayan and I have discussed this and we'd like to present our case to the empire and hopefully join our tribe with everyone else."

Bayan tried not to make eye contact with Csaba but it was almost inevitable. Ernak seemed neutral to the entire meeting. He was very relaxed and had no quarrels with anyone here. "We have our main tribe in Harran but have expanded into Eastern Assyria and Aleppo as well. We also have the Zubu region in Mongolia on our side."

Kreka frowned. "You went to Mongolia? That is my area. I didn't know there were any tribes left."

He nods slowly, slightly afraid of the khatun. "Yes…they spoke highly of you and it was because of you that we were able to convince them to join us."

Gabrielle had much to say but kept her mouth shut and wrote down everything that was said in the meeting.

It was now Csaba's turn to intervene and he glared at Bayan who was sitting awfully close to his sister. "How many men do you have in your army?"

"We have over three thousand now, almost four if we capture Northern Assyria just a few miles from Harran," Bayan explained and his eyes darted elsewhere from the king's icy green eyes.

"Assyria isn't exactly Hun land. They aren't our people and that area is in Justinian's territory. Why should we include Assyria into the empire if we don't know there will be a possible revolt against us?"

Arielle grimaced at her brother and grabbed Bayan's hand so she could answer. "Because we have an entire tribe that is willing to join the empire. They love our people. The Sabirs were included and so were the Gokturks. Why can't the Assyrians be included too? It will be better if we had more land."

"The Assyrians also follow the church of Constantinople. We don't have Christians in our empire. Why should we include them now?"

"Because they are not followers of Justinian. We don't discriminate against people who are of a different religion than us, Csaba," she spat. "The Goths follow the Roman church yet we are allies with them. The argument of religion is stupid and irrelevant."

He was almost about to combat his sister until his mother placed a hand on his leg. Anastasia looked to her daughter and Bayan seriously. "I'm only going to ask one question to the both of you." she took a long pause. "Why should I allow you to be rulers of your tribe?"

Arielle and Bayan looked at each other for a few moments. The silence in the room was menacing and more than tense. It was beyond tense. The answer to this question could determine everything and the clock was ticking. They didn't want to answer incorrectly or they could lose this entire argument altogether.

Arielle brushed her hair behind her ears and stared at her mother, inhaling deeply. "We both believe we deserve this because we started this tribe from the ground up. We've been successful at three excursions across Mongolia and Assyria in less than a year. Everyone submitted to us without repercussions and we didn't lose any soldiers in the process. We peacefully conquered areas and we were fair to them."

Gabrielle smiled as she was writing down Arielle's speech. At least she paid attention in her lessons more than the governor thought she did. Subconsciously Arielle had the concept of being a queen down but was never able to put her studies into practice until now.

Anastasia nodded and turned to Kreka who sat in silence. The khatun looked at the very anxious former princess and said, "I agree to allow them entrance into the empire but the Mongolian tribes will be handed over to Ernak."

There was some minor disappointment that crossed Arielle's face but she thought that was fair given that Kreka's family once reigned over the area. Her eyes darted to Farah and Csaba and she hoped they would agree too.

Csaba sighed and tried not to let his feelings towards Bayan sour the meeting. "Agreed but your tribe will pay a tax to Pannonia."

She pursed her lips and tried to contain herself from blurting something out. Farah smiled at her and nodded, also in agreement. "And you will share your grain with us during the winter months."

Anastasia put her feelings for her daughter aside and stared at her firmly. "I agree also but all campaigns and excursions will be approved by me and Csaba. Gabrielle can write a contract for you two."

Arielle smiled although she felt a little defeated that she couldn't keep most of her land to herself but she was at least included into the empire as were the Assyrians. They would no longer be in Justinian's clutches and there would probably be a war over that but for now, she celebrated her large victory.

* * *

After the meeting was adjourned, everyone went back to their rooms, all except Bayan and Arielle who stayed behind with Gabrielle to sign some paperwork outside of Kreka's room, back into their suite. Anastasia was standing over them and when she signed her name, it was official.

Bayan grabbed his wife's hand and her entire face was glowing. Gabrielle grabbed the signed document and tucked it into her journal to be stored into the room where all the treaties and documents were stored, thanks to Farah redesign of the Adame, there was a room specifically for the documents and they no longer had to be hidden away in the queen's quarters for safe keeping.

Arielle turned and frowned at her mother, still upset at her for what happened to Bayan. She no longer felt like a child around her anymore especially since they were equally matched in height and stature. "Mother, I just want to let you know that when I give birth I just want Bayan and Ku in the room with me."

Ana's jaw dropped and Xena's eyes widened at the awkward tension between mother and daughter. "But Arielle, I want to be there for you. You will need me."

"I don't  _need_  you mother. I can do this by myself."

Xena burst out laughing and Gabrielle bit her bottom lip, turning away from the tense queens in the room. Arielle spun around, glaring at her grandmother. Xena smiled from ear to ear at her granddaughter.

"Best of luck with that, Arielle." She said in a most insincere voice and gave her a thumbs up. "Let us know how it turns out."

"This is not funny! I'm serious. I don't need anyone to help me anymore."

Ana creased her eyebrows and frowned sadly. "Arielle, this will be very difficult for you. I don't want you to go through that alone."

"I won't be  _alone_. I have Bayan and Ku with me. They've been there for me. I don't need you." she grabbed Bayan's hand and pulled him to leave the room. He skipped ahead to catch up and kept his head low.

Xena sighed and waved her hand, "teenagers. They think they know everything."

"What did I ever do to that girl to deserve this!" Ana yelled.

"Hey, Ana, don't worry. She's still upset about what happened to Bayan. She'll come around," Gabrielle offered words of encouragement and comfort as always.

" _Trust_  me," Xena snorted, "she'll change her mind when the time comes. Besides, you just boosted her ego since you allowed her to reign as queen of Harran."

Gabrielle cocked her head, glaring at the commander. "You really aren't helping at all, you know that?"

"What am I supposed to say?" she lifted her palms, gawking at her daughter and wife. "Anastasia just let her think she knows everything. She'll cave."

The queen folded her arms and muttered foul words under her breath. "Sometimes I don't believe I actually gave birth to that girl."

Xena leaned her chin on her palm, smiling softly at her daughter who had grown into a very strong woman over the years. "I think you've forgotten what it's like to be a teenager. You weren't exactly easy to talk to at that age either although I have to admit, Arielle is her own…breed of trouble. Just accept that she's never going to change and your life will be a lot easier."

* * *

A week away from the party Arielle invited her friends inside the Adame and the three were playing a game that was commonly played in Thrace. Arielle caught onto the rules very quickly and they were playing for over an hour. Rose and Marina were definitely very much unlike Arielle was. They fawned over her and constantly asked her if she picked out any names for the baby and where the room was and of course the main topic –Bayan.

Gabrielle and Xena sat in a corner of the women's quarters on the first floor, sewing the headdress and dress together. They tried not to listen in on the girls' conversations but it was hard not to. Rose was being very talkative and spoke of the letters that were exchanged between Arielle and Bayan. Xena listened in as she was sewing and pricked her thumb.

She hissed and sucked on her needle-pricked thumb. Gabrielle raised her eyebrow at her wife and snickered. "That's what you get for eavesdropping."

"I am not  _eavesdropping_. They're ten feet away from us!"

"You're eavesdropping."

Xena grimaced and adjusted the dress in her lap and was careful of where she stuck the needle in the fabric next. "If Arielle wasn't so young I'd give her my position."

The governor lifted wide surprised eyes. "You'd really let her be commander? This is so unlike you."

"She has the heart and drive to be a great leader, Gabrielle. She knows what she wants and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants, whether it to be a horse from Navaz or an entire army from Anastasia."

"But won't she want to go back to Harran? Her tribe is there. If you give her your position, hypothetically…she will have to stay."

Xena paid no mind to her wife and kept sewing, although she still listened in on her granddaughter's conversation with her friends.

Gabrielle slapped her wife's arm. "I see what you're doing. You  _want_  her to stay!"

"Bayan can go back to Harran while Arielle stays here. I can train her. It's a win-win for everyone." She smiled and winked.

"You can be so conniving with your plans sometimes."

"Whatever. My plans work nine out of ten times." She sat up and flung the dress in front of her to admire her hard work. "Arielle!" she called and the young queen turned her head and all laughing and conversation halted. "I need you to try this on."

Arielle walked over and held the dress up to look at it in full length. Rose and Marina gasped in unison at the gold flowery trim around the collar, cuff-links and bottom trip around the skirt. "Wow, it's really pretty, Arielle!" remarked Rose. "You will look great in that."

"I…should try this on." She smiled briefly and disappeared into the next room with her two friends following behind her.

Gabrielle thought Arielle's behavior was odd and it had been ever since she came back home. "She sounds nervous about the party."

"She'll have all eyes on her. It's not really her scene, but she promised Ana so she has to do it. No woman in our family breaks promises."

* * *

Bayan wandered the halls by himself and came into the foyer only to see Navaz and Safiya walk in together. They were greeted by Anastasia. He panicked and attempted to leave but Navaz caught him.

"Bayan!" he yelled and the Kidarite froze then slowly turned around. "It'd be awfully rude of you not to greet me and my wife."

He nodded and approached him and Safiya. Anastasia folded her arms, glaring at him and he eyed Navaz's wife who seemed to be very neutral or she was secretly angry and chose to hide it. He'd only met Navaz briefly in the past but never actually had to speak to him and now he was forced to.

He bowed his head in silence and Navaz noted the bruises on his neck and jaw. He was not privy to everything that happened before he arrived. He also did not make eye contact with Anastasia for obvious reasons. The last time they were together, their meeting was really intimate and he kept that from Safiya though he was sure that she knew. She was a very smart woman.

"What happened to your face?"

Bayan touched his jaw and looked at Anastasia's dagger-like eyes. "I had a  _warm_  welcoming from Csaba."

Navaz lifted his chin and raised an eyebrow. "I gather the greeting was not as you expected. Excuse us, ladies, but I wish to speak with my daughter's husband alone." He said and they stood motionless and silent. He smiled at Bayan and slapped a hand on his shoulder, pushing him forward into the hallway.

Ana turned to walk off and Safiya eyed her. "Anastasia."

The queen halted and prayed that she was not to be interrogated about that one night.

"Might I speak with you?"

She dreadfully turned back around and walked towards Safiya with a sheepish face.

The Sabir woman blinked with her dark eyes, staring into the queen's blue eyes. "I know you slept with my husband," she stated calmly and Ana lowered her gaze. "He did not tell me nor will I expect him to. I knew what he was doing when he came here weeks ago."

"Safiya," she began in a shaky voice, "I did not do that to hurt you. I was just –"

She held up her hand and Ana closed her mouth. "I realize you've lost your husband and you share a close relationship with Navaz because of Arielle. I understand that and would never take that away from you but do not come in between me and Navaz."

Anastasia's cheeks turned bright red and she smiled apologetically. "I respect you, Safiya. I always have. I would never do anything to disrespect your marriage with Navaz."

"And it seems you already did," Safiya says tersely. "I will be taking Soran back to Balaam with me after the party. Arielle may come see him whenever she pleases but you are not welcome in my home anymore." She said her final word and walked off to find the servants to bring her belongings to a guest room.

Anastasia sighed and felt like she'd just been stabbed several times but she could understand Safiya's frustration and she was probably embarrassed especially since she knew Navaz's intentions.

* * *

Navaz finished his stern lecture with Bayan and made sure to get his point across that if anything happened to Arielle that he'd hunt him down and make his life miserable. Bayan was not hard to coax and he complied with Navaz's rules and promised to keep Arielle safe no matter the circumstances.

He entered the women's quarters with permission from one of the maids outside and he saw Arielle standing in her dress while Xena was fixing the collar. He smiled and Gabrielle's eyes widened. She almost blurted out his arrival and he put a finger to his lips.

"Grandma, I don't know about these sleeves. The lace is a bit much," she complained.

Xena held a couple of pins in between her teeth and Navaz tapped her shoulder. She whipped her head around and smiled with a mouthful of pins and quietly stepped away while Arielle continued to be finicky with the gown.

He cleared his throat and Arielle frowned at the male voice behind her. She turned slowly and gasped. "Father, you're here!" she beamed and wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his chest.

"I just arrived with Safiya." He pried her arms off and stepped back to look at her. He pursed his mouth and rubbed his thick raven beard and Arielle frowned. He was so used to seeing her as his little girl and it was going to take a long time for him to get used to her being a mother soon.

Xena folded her arms and took the pins out of her mouth. "Navaz."

He shook his head out the daze. "What?"

"You're staring."

"Oh," he emits an embarrassed smile and looked at his daughter. "You look beautiful."

Arielle shied away and waved her hand. "You always say that." The loose sleeve exposed her tattooed arm when she lifted it up to grab a handful of her straightened hair to be put behind her shoulder.

His eyes widened and he grabbed her wrist. He rolled up the sleeve, exposing the entirety of her inked arm. "Arielle!" he raised his voice. "What have you done to your arm?" he rolled up the other sleeve and his jaw dropped.

"Dad…" she yanked her arms away and rolled down the sleeves. "It's my body. I can do what I want."

He clenched his fist and looked over at Xena who put a hand across her throat and Gabrielle turned away, lifting her eyes to the ceiling, whistling to herself. He held in his opinions and objections and put on a face for his daughter.

"Right… _your_  body."

"You hate them." She stated.

He exhaled heavily and couldn't hold it in anymore. "Yes."

* * *

When it came time for the senlik Arielle was less than enthused to be surrounded by her entire family plus hundreds of people of the tribe that came in and out of the large ballroom. This room was three times the size of their other ballroom and held a lot of guests.

She sat in a chair with Bayan by her side. Her brother was gracious enough to allow Bayan to borrow some nice clothing as he had none. He sat anxiously, bobbing his leg up and down, staring at all of the guests. He turned to Navaz who stood beside him with Safiya and Anastasia was on Arielle's side.

He leaned over to his wife, "your entire family hates me."

She scoffed. "No they don't. Stop overreacting. You're still alive so that's a good sign."

"Arielle, don't say that. I am nervous enough as it is!" he whispered.

Farah came by with Csaba, Rabia, and Edemen. Bayan put on his best smile and he got a mean mug from Csaba which was expected. "I got this for you Arielle," Farah presented a gold bow carved with Szekely symbols. Arielle's eyes grew with excitement and she quickly snatched the bow.

"This is a great gift. Thanks so much Farah." She smiled and then Rabia came forward. Arielle's smile disappeared and she wasn't very fond of Farah's older sister. She was probably the only person she was afraid of. Farah was nothing like Rabia –she was so serious and quite hard to read sometimes.

Rabia pulled out her gift which was wrapped very nicely in silk fabric and a ribbon. "I'm sure this will be very useful to you," she said and smiled warmly. Arielle took the gift cautiously and handed it over to her mother to put in the pile behind the chairs.

Edemen rushed forward in between his parents and leaned on his aunt's leg. "Arielle, you should definitely have a boy so I can have a new cousin to play with."

She smirked and ruffled his finely combed hair. "We'll see."

He grunted and fixed his hair and was grabbed by Csaba and ushered away. Cera and Soran came up next and presented something that definitely couldn't be wrapped. They worked on the piece together and it was a painting of the crest of their tribe as well as Harran's. They were rather pressed for time but since Arielle arrived they worked on it for the moment she got here.

Arielle gasped and admired the large painting by her siblings. "That is amazing! You two are so talented. Right, Bayan?"

He admired the painting and nodded. "It's very nice." He was too nervous to say the wrong thing and stayed quiet during the party. He caught Navaz's eyes on him periodically and he hid his face and sank in the chair.

Soran shrugged. "Cera did most of the work."

While everyone was coming up to Arielle constantly, Gabrielle and Xena walked in a bit late to the party. Although Gabrielle wasn't able to convince her wife to wear a dress, she was surprised to find her wearing a black and gold dress to the party without throwing a fit.

Gabrielle rose to her toes and pulled back one of her wife's tendrils away from her face. Xena slapped her hand away and smoothed out her slicked back hair. She didn't like her hair being tampered with especially since she worked really hard on it. Despite her signature fringe bangs being the trademark of her appearance, she slicked them back for the party.

They approached the front of the ballroom and Anastasia turned to her mother and Gabrielle but was most surprised to see her mother in a dress no less. She unconsciously ran a hand over her slicked back hair and squinted her eyes, gawking at her mother. Both of them had virtually the same hairstyle: slicked back into a long ponytail and tendrils framing their faces.

Gabrielle was beaming and wore a green dress to compliment her eyes and a headdress instead of styling her hair. "She looks great, doesn't she?" she nudged her wife's arm.

"Don't push it, Gabrielle…"

Arielle turned and her jaw dropped. Her eyes darted back and forth at her mother and grandmother. "Wow…you…that is uncanny! You two look exactly the same!" she says and grabbed Bayan's hand so he could take a look at them.

"Yeah, yeah," Xena waved her hand dismissively and stood next to her daughter. She leaned over to see Safiya standing with Navaz. "Why isn't Safiya standing next to you?"

Ana lowered her head in shame. "We are not on good terms."

Gabrielle couldn't help but overhear and she handed her wife a flute of wine. "Did she find out about you and Navaz?" she asked and the look on Ana's face said it all. "I'm guessing she didn't take it well."

"She said I'm no longer welcome in Balaam," she says quietly. "I wish Ellac was here."

Xena sipped the wine and gripped her daughter's shoulder. "We all do. He's here, trust me."

"You think so?"

She took another swig of the wine and licked her painted lips. "Oh,  _believe_  me. He's here." She was reminded of the time she took a little trip to the spiritual plane to see Borias and it was apparent that every single nonliving person in the family was here watching everyone. Now suddenly, she was self conscious.

Ana smiled, somewhat relieved. "Gabrielle, how did you convince my mother to wear a dress?"

She swallowed slowly and eyed her tall wife. "I didn't."

"Wow, mother. I am surprised. You shock me sometimes." She teased her.

Gabrielle pinched her wife's arm. "Xena, don't you have something to give to Arielle?"

"Oh…right." Xena gave the wine glass to her daughter and walked over to her granddaughter who just finished receiving a gift from Ebnedzar, his sons and Ursula. Arielle smiled up at her and straightened herself in the chair.

Xena pulled out her sword wrapped in gold fabric and presented it laden in her arms. Arielle stared at the sword confusedly. "You're giving me your sword?" she took it graciously and felt the heavy weight of the sword in her hands.

"Grandma, I can't accept this. It's  _your_  sword." She tried to pawn it back into her grandmother's arms.

Xena pushed it back into Arielle's lap. "I'm not  _giving_  it to you. You're going to earn it."

Anastasia's eyes widened, fearing what her mother was about to imply and Gabrielle kept smiling, enjoying the exchange.

Arielle gazed at the large curved sword. "I don't…understand."

"I want you to take my position as commander," she said and Arielle's face brightened and she was too shocked to show any other expression than shear surprise. "On one condition; you stay here and I'll train you myself."

Anastasia gripped the flute glass and it shattered in her hand from squeezing it tightly. Gabrielle gasped and looked around for a cloth to clean up the spilled wine all over Ana's gown.

Arielle finally smiled and looked down at the sword. "Really? I can be commander?"

"Only if you complete your training and do as I say."

"I'll do whatever you say!" she held the sword in the air with one hand and got out of the chair and grabbed her mother's hand. "Mom, did you hear? Grandma said I can take her place as commander!"

"Oh I  _heard_." Ana said, trying to emit some sort of happiness but all she could think about was choking her mother. She didn't want to spoil her daughter's mood and today was supposed to be about her. "Do you…want the position? Do you accept it?"

Arielle nodded her head rapidly. "More than anything!" she spun around to Xena with wide blue eyes. "I won't let you down, grandma. I promise. It'll be different this time. Hey, this is my party right? We should have an archery contest outside. I can use the bow Farah gave me. Can we?"

Ana was lost for words. "Um, well, if that's what you want to do."

"Great! Bayan, come with me and we'll get the bows. Mother, can you tell everyone to come outside?" she grabbed her husband's hand and they took off to order the soldiers to grab an abundance of war bows.

Xena smiled at her daughter with a smug grin.

"I'm going to kill you." she said and glared at Gabrielle. "And you too. You're just as guilty."

The governor let out an awkward laugh. "Ah, Anastasia, it's a party. Let's not ruin it with a fight. We should probably go outside. Arielle's orders." She quickly snatched her wife's hand and hurried away.

* * *

Everyone gathered outside and those who wanted to participate were in a single file row facing the open field which was rather dark. Soldiers had markers in the field with lit torches. Arielle, Navaz, Safiya and Anastasia were altogether in a cluster. Xena, Gabrielle, Yeter, Oran, Csaba, Ernak and Bayan were in the second cluster.

Arielle stepped out into the field and flicked the long veil behind her shoulder. "Alright, whoever shoots to the first marker gets to go in the next round. Prepare your bows!" she told her family and stepped back in line and grabbed an arrow.

Xena smirked. "I'm going to wipe the floor with you," she whispered to her wife.

"I'm pretty good with a bow. Ernak said so. We'll see how well you do."

They all pulled their bows and shot high into the air and everyone made the first marker. The soldier grabbed the torch and moved back a few feet for the second round. Xena smiled smugly at her wife, ready to keep going until they couldn't anymore.

Second round everyone made it except for Oran. He was out of the contest and stepped back to join Farah and the children. Edemen was eager to watch and tried to convince his mother to allow him to shoot but she said no about ten times already.

Third round was shot. Yeter and Safiya were excluded and stepped away. Arielle gave a determined smile to her parents as she stood in between them. She'd always been skilled with a bow ever since she could walk.

On the fifth round, Gabrielle missed the marker by a foot and she grumbled. Xena snickered, "better luck next time, Gabrielle."

She marched backward to join the rest of the family. "I'm sure Arielle will beat you anyway!" she shouted sourly.

Seventh round; Anastasia lost as did Csaba.

Round ten; all who were left standing were Xena, Arielle, Navaz and Bayan.

The twelfth round Xena shot her arrow and it landed a few inches shy of everyone else's and she was out of the contest. Arielle relished in her grandmother's defeat. "Nice try, grandma. I commend you for trying."

"You may be skilled with a bow but I'll remember that for our sword lessons together," she winked and Arielle's smile faded.

Surprisingly, by the fourteenth round, Bayan lost to his own wife and he was always the best archer in his family. He stepped back and stood next to Anastasia and she gave him a brief smile, letting her anger for his presence lessen for now.

Navaz and Arielle were standing next to each other and he gave her a warm grin. She grabbed another arrow and looked out at the small dot in the field. "This is the last round. Whoever gets this wins," she told him.

Everyone anticipated the draw. They both shot their arrows at the same time and Arielle anxiously watched her arrow soar through the air. When the arrows landed, a soldier ran out to measure the distance and pointed to her arrow which was at least a foot further in front than her father's.

She huffed and elbowed her father's arm. "You  _let_  me win."

"I did not," he tried to hide his lie but she could see right through him.

"We go again and don't hold back this time," she advises.

"Alright. How about we aim for the center of that tree?" he pointed beyond the marker. "If you can make that then you win."

Arielle measured the distance from her spot to the tree and nodded. It was a far shot but she was confident she could make it. "You go first."

He loaded the bow and closed one of his eyes to aim for the tree. The bow was nearing its breaking point and he released the arrow and it hit the center of the tree trunk with ease. Smiling at his daughter he took a step back so he could give her room.

She took in a deep breath and held out her hands, making a triangle with her fingers and thumbs to eye the tree. Once she had her target, she pulled the bow tautly and shifted her weight.

She released the arrow and everyone watched it fly at tremendous speed towards the tree. Arielle lowered her bow, watching the arrow and held her breath. The arrow went through Navaz's arrow, shattering it into a million pieces.

She raised her bow in the air and Navaz's mouth gaped. Everyone clapped, celebrating her victory. He was still in shock that he lost but he not only lost, his arrow was shattered.

"I win!" she cheered. "I guess I can finally say I am a better archer than you, father," she teased him.

He nods slowly. "Well…I guess so." He was still reeling in the fact that he lost.

Gabrielle couldn't help but rub her wife's defeat in her face. "I can't believe you lost to your granddaughter."

"Bows aren't my weapon of choice."

"You're just mad because she beat you. Come on…" she kept on.

Xena frowned and punched the governor's arm. "I'm not mad. I'm proud of her."

Gabrielle winced and rubbed her arm. Even after all these years she could never get used to being hit spontaneously by her. "Uh huh…sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."

The two tried to slip away and Anastasia ran over and blocked their path. "Oh you're not going anywhere. We need to discuss this little 'passing of the torch'."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Not tonight, Ana. It's a party! Besides, Arielle won't be able to do anything until she has the baby."

Xena nodded. "What she said."

They walked off to head back to the Adame and waved at the queen with big grins. Anastasia huffed and folded her arms. "This conversation is far from over!"

**It's nice to step away from war and chaos for awhile lol. I have two more chapters left of this story so I wanted to make this one longer than usual.**


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54 – _New Princes and Princesses_

Over the last two weeks Arielle anticipated her body going into labor but with each passing morning she was somewhat relieved that it hadn't happened yet. Her internal fears of being a mother to someone so small and so innocent were now creeping up on her. Those fears were set aside when she came back to be with her family but the last month it was all she could think about.

She had a lot of doubts in herself that she kept from Bayan and Ku. She'd also been avoiding her mother for the last couple of weeks because she didn't feel like she needed someone breathing down her neck all the time.

She woke up feeling more exhausted than when she went to sleep last night. She sat up and ran her fingers through her messy curls and yawned. Bayan walked over to the bed with a glass of water and smiled at her.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up." He crawled onto the bed and handed her the glass of water to which she chugged in a matter of seconds.

Groaning she adjusted the straps to her dress and fanned her flushed face. "What time is it?"

"A little passed noon." He told her and her eyes widened. "I didn't want to wake you. How are you feeling?" he crawled up behind her and squeezed the knots in her clammy shoulders.

She hung her head and rubbed her forehead. "I have a headache and the baby is moving like crazy and I didn't sleep very well."

"Should I give him a stern talking to?" he joked.

Arielle lifted her head and half smiled. "Very funny. Where's Ku?"

"She's in the kitchen." He crawled over to sit in front of her and he pulled back her long curls away from her face. "Arielle, are you really going to take the role of commander?"

"Yes. I already said I would."

"What about Harran? That is our home now. This defeats the purpose of moving away and having a life of our own."

She frowned. "Bayan, I am not going to pass this up. My grandmother doesn't just give away opportunities like that. If I have to stay here for awhile and learn from her then I will."

He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to his way with her. He never got his way. "What about the baby? I can't stay here forever, Arielle. I have to go back."

"I can take care of it. We'll figure it out."

* * *

Farah was back at her lessons with Gabrielle and she'd been working with a staff for more than a month now. She was able to twirl it with one hand and that was about all of the tricks she could do, aside from swinging it erratically, nearly hitting everyone in sight.

Gabrielle stood, watching the queen struggle with a front thrust. She had her arms folded and rubbed her chin aggressively, unsure of how to approach this. Turning to her wife, she looked equally as perplexed sitting in a chair watching the disaster.

"Farah, Farah!" she ran forward and grabbed the staff before she was about to hit herself in the face. "You got the twirling down. No need to keep practicing that."

"I thought we were doing thrusts?" asked Farah confusedly.

"We are…but I just want to make sure you don't hurt anyone."

Farah rolled her eyes. "I already sparred with Yeter. Shouldn't I be practicing with someone? I can't swing this thing at air and expect to understand how this works. Geometry only helps so much, Gabrielle!"

Anastasia, having nothing to do in her life anymore except be ignored by her daughter, walked over to the field and approached Farah and Gabrielle in the middle of their lesson. Farah was still getting a handle on the staff and twirled it graciously, almost whacking Ana in the face.

She grabbed the staff and Farah spun around, red in the face and incredibly embarrassed. "Be more aware of your surroundings, Farah."

"Sorry…"

Ana smiled and looked over at the governor. "How's it coming along? Is she improving?"

Xena snorted in the background. "If you call twirling a staff in one direction 'improvement' then yeah sure."

She stared at the defeated Banat queen and felt sorry for her. She began to rethink this training as Farah was not very good at anything except math and science. Although she remembered Gabrielle saying that Farah was quite good in hand to hand combat.

"Maybe a staff is not your weapon. There are plenty of weapons you can choose from. You don't have to be good at everything." She offered some words of encouragement to her daughter in law. "We can try dual wielding weapons like Gabrielle's Sais."

Gabrielle couldn't think of worse idea than to give Farah two sharp weapons. She could only imagine what kind of accidents would ensue in the near future. Anastasia walked over to the wrack of weapons and grabbed two short double edged swords and handed them over to Farah.

She held the short swords and twirled them individually. She smiled, finding the weapons very easy to handle. "These are much better than a staff!"

Gabrielle could see it now –eyes being gouged out or someone possibly being sliced in several places. She didn't like that Farah easily adapted to the weapons given that she never held a weapon in her life until a few months ago. Aside from her wife's feelings towards training Farah, she preferred not to think of the queen as a lost cause. Everyone could learn and Farah picked up things very quickly due to her sharp mind.

While Ana and Gabrielle were preoccupied with their new protégé, Xena's attention was grabbed by something far more interesting and worth a distraction. There was Cera and a Thracian boy together talking out in the open. Xena rested her chin on her palm watching the two young teenagers talking as if nothing was happening. Luckily Ana was distracted by Farah's incompetence to notice.

Cera was very innocent compared to her older sister and she was very smart. She also had something Arielle didn't have; a pure heart. There was also one thing that the two sisters had in common and that was their beauty. Cera was unlike the rest of the family who all had dark hair and darker skin tones. Cera was fair with auburn hair and big doe brown eyes. She was unusual looking to the Hun people but not to the Thracians. The only thing that hindered the princess was the loss of her voice.

Xena hated to interrupt but she couldn't allow Cera to be alone with any boy. Ellac would hate that. She slipped away from the lesson and made her way over. She stood behind Cera, towering over the princess and the Thracian boy's mouth gaped.

Cera turned around and frowned. Her grandmother was a natural boy repellent.

"Who's your friend?" she inquired, genuinely interested.

The princess raised a suspicious eyebrow and turned to her friend and nudged his arm. The boy smiled nervously. "Oh, my name is Zacharias. I'm originally from Pella. I was just telling the princess that my family painted a lot of murals in the temples before they were turned into churches."

"You come from a long line of artists," she remarked. She was relieved that this boy was not a prince or came from a royal line. "You're not a prince in disguise are you?"

Zacharias shook his head, puzzled by the question. "No ma'am…"

Cera slapped her forehead and Xena smiled, ignoring the boy's comment. She expected her grandmother to yell at the boy but she was being very receptive.

"Good. Don't need any more princes around here," she jokes and Cera sighs dramatically and tried pushing her away. "Zacharias, if you want to see Cera and talk to her, you have to meet her mother first."

"Oh, um…" he eyed the queen who was with the governor. He feared her and seen her lash out several times before.

Xena grabbed Cera's and Zacharias' hands and forcefully pulled them along with her. "Anastasia! Cera has a new friend she'd like you to meet."

Ana stopped her instruction with Farah and saw her daughter with a boy. She looked at her mother's smug face and folded her arms. "A friend. A friend who is a  _boy_. How nice…"

"He comes from a long line of  _artists_ ," Xena hinted and pushed the boy forward and walked over to her wife and hooked arms with her, dragging her away. "Farah, lesson's over for today."

Farah huffed. "But I was just getting the hang of these!"

"Xena, what's the rush? We just started the lesson!" the governor didn't really appreciate being taken away and hurried back to the Adame when she had so much to do today.

"I'm distracting Anastasia and I really can't stand to watch Farah almost poke her eye out any longer."

* * *

They lived in a yurt so long that Gabrielle had forgotten what it was like to live in an enclosed room with a bath included. Xena's idea of picking a room on the first floor in the back of the Adame was something Gabrielle didn't like very much. People who lived in the back rooms were usually chambermaids and children. Edemen would drop by every so often just to bother them because his room was down the hall.

He enjoyed having his room again away from his parents and little brothers. The only thing that Xena hated about the Adame is that she was cut off from everything outside and wouldn't be able to make an escape if anything happened.

Lately, the infernal hammering outside in the back of the Adame was most annoying and started from dawn to dusk. Ernak and Farah were very adamant about finishing the home for the winter season. It was mainly Farah who wanted the Adame finished and she was turning into some kind of slave driver, working the soldiers to death.

A perfectionist she definitely was as Ana said. If only she could channel that same ambition into her combat training, Gabrielle thought.

Xena lay on the floor of a large rug with her legs propped up on a cushioned stool. She was throwing a ball of twine in the air repeatedly while playing a strategy game with her wife. Gabrielle pulled out a card and every time Xena guessed the riddle correctly she won a marble. If she wasn't so calm, Gabrielle would've guessed they'd be using coins in this game.

The governor pulled out another card and smiled, hoping her wife would get this riddle wrong for once. "Okay, here's one for you. 'What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening'?"

Xena took no extra time to think of her answer and said, "A baby, a man and an elderly person."

Gabrielle frowned and slammed the card down in the large pile then pulled out another marble for Xena's collection. "Lucky guess. Since when are you so good at this game? That's a Greek mythology story."

"I am educated, Gabrielle. We've been over this several times. Hit me again," she cast a smile to her wife and threw the ball of twine in the air once more.

"Let's do something else. This game is annoying because you keep guessing correctly." She grabbed the cards and stacked them in a neat pile and Xena rolled over on her side and caught the twine ball with one hand, sneering at her wife.

"Hey, what ever happened to the school you wanted to build?"

Gabrielle's interest piqued. "Oh right! I totally forgot. I could ask Farah to design it and it can be right next to the Adame." She clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. "There are so many children here and they need education. I could be the lead teacher. It'll be like my old job in Athens."

Xena kept smiling at how excited the blonde was. Gabrielle loved teaching children or anyone for that matter. She was very good at making people listen to her. Her calming nature was perfect for the children who simply had no educational background aside from the royal children who were taught religiously in various subjects, mainly Latin and math.

"Farah could be a teacher too. She's good at math and science. Maybe if Anastasia isn't busy she can give lessons in Greek if she's up for it and –" she caught her wife's sly expression. "What?"

"I just like seeing you in your element."

"Cera could be an art teacher. Have you seen her paintings? She's really good."

Xena nodded.

"What is with that face?"

She laughed. "Nothing! I am enjoying your enthusiasm. You should see how your face lights up at the mention of school in a conversation. It's your calling. You're a great governor but you've always had a love for teaching and mentoring. You shouldn't stray from it."

Gabrielle hadn't thought of her life mission as a teacher before until her wife said so. Her smile faded slightly and her cheeks flushed at the compliments. "Remember when you tried to run away from being a commander and we went all across Africa and Arabia?"

Xena rolled her eyes, remembering that adventure and it was fun for the time being but she was always glad to come back home.

"I know I've said this several times but you can't run away from your destiny, Xena. You're great at what you do." she gave her wife a taste of her own medicine. "I think it's really great that you're handing your position over to Arielle although I'm a little surprised. You were so against her fascination with the battle field and now you want her to be commander…"

"She is older now," she said and Gabrielle looked her with wiry eyes and they both laughed. "Okay only by a year but I have faith in her. Anastasia is a great queen but she made a horrible commander. Her mind was never focused and she always needed my help. Arielle won't need that kind of attention. She's different."

"You've been commander for so long. Do you think she will be able to command an entire army on her own one day?"

Xena pursed her mouth and thought about it for awhile and nodded. "I think so. Life is different now than when I became Attila's commander. I was ruthless, Gabrielle. I killed several people who shouldn't have been killed. I was angry at my life and the way it turned out. Arielle isn't going to go through the same obstacles as I did. She's got a clear head on her shoulders."

"I  _know_  how ruthless you were," said the governor with glossy eyes. "I was  _there_ , remember? But aside from being brutal and unforgiving at times, you always knew what to do and it worked out most of the time plus you had Ana. She was your reason for remaining level headed."

Gabrielle smiled warmly and pulled back her short hair away from her eyes. "Do you…want to be a part of the school?"

Xena groaned and rolled over onto her back and threw the ball of twine in the air to distract herself.

"Oh come on! You'd be great and it'll give you something to do. You can teach the children about weapons and the history behind them. Finally you can put use to all of those weapons you have in storage."

"I'll think about it."

"The children really love you…"

" _Gabrielle_." she paused and stared at her eager wife. "I said I'd think about it."

"I'll take that as a yes."

Xena shook her head and reached over to grab her wife's leg and Gabrielle immediately jumped up and ran behind the table in their room.

A brief knock alarmed them both and Ana walked in without waiting for permission. She stepped through the doorway and titled her head, staring at her mother who was on the floor and Gabrielle leaning against a table.

"I'm not going to ask," she closed the door and walked over to her mother. She held a letter in her hand and Xena sat up and tossed the ball of twine over to Gabrielle, who barely caught it before it smacked her in the face.

"I got this letter. Justinian is going invade Dalmatia, what's left of Banat and possibly Assyria. He must have found out that Arielle and Bayan have a Hun tribe there now."

Xena read the letter and frowned deeply. Gabrielle waltzed over and read over her wife's shoulder. "What's the plan then? Is Ernak going to cover the invasions?"

Ana nodded. "I will send him to the borders and try to block Justinian's attacks. I really need to talk to Arielle and Bayan but she won't talk to me."

Gabrielle folded her arms. "She needs to. This is important and shouldn't be ignored."

"I know but I think she is in labor. I…was listening at the door." She admits sadly. She was disappointed that her daughter pushed her away in a time when she was most needed.

"We can have a meeting in your room," Xena suggested and handed the letter to her daughter. "Don't worry about Arielle."

* * *

Arielle knelt on the floor leaning her forehead on her arm against the side of the bed. She inhaled and exhaled heavily, gripping onto the sheets. Bayan sat beside her, unsure of what to do. He tried to move her to the bed but she shoved him away. Ku was more receptive but she too, was uncertain of how to handle the situation given that Arielle was too busy focusing on the pain rather than to talk to anyone.

"Do you want to get into the bed?" asked Ku.

Arielle shook her head and closed her eyes tightly. After the pain somewhat subsided she lifted her head and wiped her sweaty forehead and glared at Bayan. He half smiled and rubbed her arm, trying his best to comfort her. She refused to get into bed since moving anywhere would probably cause more pain than necessary.

"Maybe I could get your mother. She could give you something for the pain?" he suggests.

"No!" she hissed and he backed away. "I don't need her."

"But what if there's something wrong? You won't know, I won't know. Arielle, this is ridiculous. I'm getting your mother."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to the floor. "You aren't going to do anything but stay here." She almost pleaded.

Bayan sighed and leaned against the bed, smiling softly. "Okay, I'll stay."

Ku frowned and dipped a cloth into the water basin, watching their interaction together. She wasn't super skilled in midwifery but she knew a little bit. She sure didn't know as much as all the other women here and she was worried that if Arielle continued to be obstinate about this, it was going to turn into something far worse than a simple delivery.

Still, she tried to be supportive and remain very calm. She sensed that Arielle was more afraid than she was letting on. She'd never seen her queen and friend with such fear in her eyes until earlier this afternoon when her entire body was engulfed in agony. Stubbornness was only good at the right moment and Ku thought this was not one of those moments to hold onto that way of thinking.

* * *

Hours later after Ernak and Csaba finished working on the Adame and the sun began to set, they gathered in Ana's quarters to have a meeting. The khatun was too ill to leave her bed and was not present during the meeting. Gabrielle was going over a map of the empire and circled all of the points that Justinian was to target.

Anastasia tried to listen but all she could hear was her daughter next door moaning and groaning for the last few hours. She sat anxiously ripping a small piece of parchment into several little bits. Xena sat next to her wife and had a hard time concentrating on the meeting as well due to her daughter's anxiousness beside her.

Ernak leapt forward from his cross-legged position and placed his palm on Assyria. "I should go to Assyria and bring some of the soldiers there. Bayan can come with me." He turned to Csaba with a grin. "No offense but you'd probably kill the boy."

"Fine, you can take Assyria. I'll take Banat and Dalmatia but I'm going to need help." Csaba sighed and rubbed his chin. "Mother, what do you suggest?" he asked her and all eyes went to her. Gabrielle lowered her gaze and wrote down some notes in her journal.

"Mother?"

Ana blinked at her son. "What?"

"Ernak's going to take Assyria. I said I should take Banat and Dalmatia but I can't do it alone. I wanted to know what you think I should do."

She nodded slowly but everything he said was not comprehended. She heard Arielle scream aloud and whipped her head around towards the closed doors. Csaba scratched his head and wagged his head, knowing he wasn't going to get a clear answer from his mother.

"Csaba, you should take Ebnedzar," Xena finally suggested. "He knows Dalmatia the best and he'll be able to help you."

Gabrielle gathered her notes and glared at the large map. "We have no idea when Justinian will attack and what area he'll go for first. We need to be alert at all times. He probably doesn't know that we've moved the entire camp up north which is good."

Ernak scoffed. "He'll figure it out soon enough especially if he's going after Banat."

"Let's just try to keep him at bay for now. We'll ask our spy to give us more information. Until then, tell the soldiers that you will be splitting them up into quarters soon."

Csaba and Ernak nodded and got up to leave. "Anything else we need to know?" asked Csaba.

Gabrielle sighed, feeling overwhelmed especially since Anastasia's mind was not focused. "No I don't think so. I'll let you know if we need anything else from you."

As soon as they left Ana ran to the doors and listened in on Arielle. She bit her fingernail nervously and cringed at the sounds her daughter was making behind closed doors. Xena nudged her wife's arm and Gabrielle was keen on not getting involved with that at all.

Xena rose from the floor and grabbed her daughter's arm, pulling her far away from the doors. "You really need to stop torturing yourself."

"But she needs me!"

"She made it pretty clear that she doesn't. Gabrielle and I will stay here with you so you don't have to be alone."

Anastasia hid her tears and looked over at Gabrielle busy writing away. The blonde lifts her eyes and gives a reassuring smile to the queen. "We'll be here."

* * *

Well into the evening, everyone must have been asleep in the Adame by now, all except Anastasia, Xena and Gabrielle who were wide awake. Xena tried to distract her daughter by coaxing her into playing a game of chess. It was difficult to concentrate with Arielle's cries in the background but Ana did her best to follow her daughter's wishes and stay away.

Gabrielle was playing against the queen and studied the board for awhile. Xena groaned and tapped her fingers on the rug impatiently. "Would you make a move already!" she yelled and Gabrielle jumped.

"Hold on! I'm not ready yet. Just let me play. You suck at chess anyway."

Finally after what seemed like an eternity she moved her piece across the board and smiled, cracking her knuckles. Anastasia didn't take long to make her move and kicked Gabrielle's piece off the board.

"Check."

The governor's jaw dropped and her wife snickered behind her. "What? I thought I for sure had that move down!"

"You've lost three times against me, Gabrielle. Shall we play again or play something else?" Ana asked in a terse tone. Chess was the last thing on her mind.

Ku swung open the door, disheveled and covered in water, her own sweat and blood on her dress. Ana turned around at the maid's abrupt entrance. "She…she wants you."

Anastasia smiled and turned her mother with a beaming face. Xena raised her eyebrow. "What did I tell you?"

She got off the floor quickly and ran into the adjoining room. Ku leaned against the door, exhausted and worn out being with Arielle for the last eight or so hours. Gabrielle could've help but chuckle at the maid's worn out face.

"Ku, do you want play a game with us? Anastasia will take over from here."

The young handmaid was reluctant to leave her queen. Her eyes darted from the bedroom and to the governor. "I don't want to leave her."

"By the sound of it, Arielle's not going anywhere anytime soon." Xena said and pat the spot next to her. "Come sit with us."

* * *

It was dawn. Everyone was asleep and all cries from the adjoining room stopped. Xena woke up and turned over to see her wife fast asleep on the floor, cuddling with a wool blanket. Yawning, exhausted from staying up most of the night she sat up and adjusted her mangled black blouse and long knee high socks.

She combed her hair with her fingers and saw Ku sleeping next to the large fireplace. Xena smiled softly and grabbed a blanket off of Ana's bed and quietly stepped over her wife and draped the blanket over the handmaid. Ku stirred in her slumber and brought her knees close to her chest and clutched the blanket.

Curiously she opened the door to Arielle's room and stepped inside. She almost stepped on Bayan who was sleeping on the floor. He looked like he was dead to the world. Anastasia was asleep in the bed beside Arielle. She didn't bother to close the door as she thought it'd make too much noise.

She crept around the bed and Arielle was wide awake, lying on her side, supporting her weight with her elbow. Arielle caught her sneaking and smiled tiredly. Xena peeked over the bed and saw a small baby wrapped in a bundle of linen and cloth beside Arielle.

She walked around and sat down in a chair slowly and her eyes widened, staring at the baby sleeping calmly. Arielle brushed her finger along her child's cheek and sighed heavily.

"A girl," she whispered.

Xena's eyebrows rose and her smile widened. It had been a very long time since there was a girl born in the family. Cera was the last and ever since then, every woman here had boys like Farah, Nisa and Yeter. Not to say that boys weren't loved here but girls were a rare treat.

"What is her name?"

Arielle had thought about a name for hours and she told Bayan she wanted to name the baby months ago. "Aurora," she whispered and Xena nodded, liking the sound of the name and ogled the baby. "I had hoped for a boy because I didn't want to have a daughter and her turn out like me."

Xena frowned and folded her arms. "What's wrong with someone being like you?"

"I'm…not a good person. I always have something to say and I'm not nice to anybody. Now I have to deal with my daughter and she will be just like me."

"Arielle, there's nothing wrong with the way you are. You have a good heart. Your daughter might be nothing like you and even if she is, there's nothing wrong with that."

Arielle half smiled. "You're just saying what I want to hear, grandma."

Xena leaned forward and grabbed Arielle's arm. "Don't get me wrong, you're a pain in the ass and I have thought about choking you a few times." She told the truth and her granddaughter gasped. "But that doesn't mean I don't love you and you're not a horrible person, Arielle. I outweigh you in horrible deeds so don't play that game with me."

The former princess smirked and couldn't disagree with that. Her eyes averted back to her daughter and thought that this was going to be a very long journey and learning lesson for her. She didn't know what to do when her baby was going to wake up. She hadn't the slightest idea even though she grew up around many infants, she always strayed far from them. She wasn't able to run away now.

"Farah is going to be so jealous," she sneakily grinned.

"Why?"

"Because she wanted a girl and got three boys instead!"

Xena gave a half eye roll. "Don't ruin your good streak now, Arielle."

"I'm just kidding. I won't rub it in her face." She yawned with a wide open mouth and her eyes burned from keeping them open at all hours of the day. Everyone seemed to be able to get some sleep except for her. She rubbed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I can look after her for you." Xena stretched out her arms with a big smile.

Arielle raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"You need sleep and I'm bored." She wiggled her fingers and Arielle chuckled softly. She eagerly scooped the baby in her arms and walked around the bed to Ana's adjoining room. Arielle sighed deeply and closed her eyes and within a matter of seconds she was fast asleep.

* * *

Hours passed and Gabrielle groggily woke up and expected to see her wife next to her. She frantically searched for her and felt the empty spot beside her. She crawled out from the corner she was in and with a breath of relief; she saw her sitting by the window in a chair.

She yawned and walked over to the window and gasped. Xena put a finger to her lips and Gabrielle quieted herself down. As opposed to be sleepy just a few seconds ago, she was ecstatic now. She leaned over the baby in her wife's arms.

"Arielle named her Aurora," Xena whispered.

"A  _girl_!" Gabrielle clenched her fists excitedly. "Kreka will be very pleased to hear this." She knelt down beside the bay window and it was one of those times she was able to see the super harsh commander express such softness.

"How is Arielle?"

"She's asleep."

Anastasia came into her room and spun around, glaring at her mother. "You're a baby-knapper. I woke up looking for her and then I thought of… _you_." she teased.

"For your information; I didn't  _kidnap_  her. Arielle gave me permission."

Gabrielle sat back, enjoying the two take jabs at each other and this time it was definitely more playful than it had been in a very long time. She rubbed her tired eyes and thought over Arielle's daughter's name.

"Aurora," she aloud and her wife and Ana looked over at her. "That's a Latin name."

Xena grinned. "See, Gabrielle, all of your Latin lessons paid off."

* * *

A week later Arielle, still laid up in bed, held her daughter against her thighs and smiled at her. Aurora's big eyes wandered around the room, getting familiar to her surroundings. She actively swayed her arms around and hit her face several times with her tiny fists. Arielle grabbed her arms and adjusted the cotton mittens on her hands gifted by Rabia and Farah.

Bayan stared at his daughter, unsure of how to be a father. He'd wanted it for awhile but now that a baby was right in front of him, he had no idea what to do or how to help. It was very difficult for him to come within five feet of his wife and daughter given that Anastasia was always there. This was one of the few times he was alone with them.

He sensed for awhile that Arielle was very apprehensive about the baby but chose not to bring attention to it. Now that he saw her interacting with Aurora, he didn't get that feeling anymore. It was as if she knew what to do instantly.

"She looks like me," he said.

Arielle furrowed her eyebrows and gave her husband a sarcastic sneer. "I do all the hard work and she comes out looking like you."

"Are you saying I'm ugly?" he joked.

She slapped his arm and then the door opened. Bayan hopped off the bed at the sight of Csaba. Arielle rolled her eyes and her brother glared at Bayan but smiled at her. Edemen ran passed his parents, eager to see his cousin.

He rose on his toes and saw his cousin for the first time and grinned. He then backed down and raised a curious brow. "Did you  _really_  have a girl, Arielle?" he asked, a bit suspicious, not believing the rumors. Arielle laughed lightly and nodded. "Ah man!"

Farah gasped. "A girl!" she beamed and then hit Csaba's chest and he grunted. "See, I told you we should have another baby. It could be a girl."

He slapped his face and ran his fingers downward, thinking what a nightmare this conversation was going to be for the next year. "We are not having another baby."

"Why not?"

"Can we just focus on Arielle?" he said and Farah pinched his arm then went over to greet the new princess. "What's her name?" he asked his sister.

"Aurora," she says proudly, picking out the name was much easier than consulting with Bayan and he didn't seem to mind either way.

He leaned on the bedpost, nodding his head. "A very lovely name." he averted his attention to Bayan. "I need to speak with you."

Bayan's face drained of color and he wrapped an arm unconsciously around his torso, fearing he might be punched at any moment. "Alone…?"

"I'm not going to hurt you. This is business," he nudged his head towards the door and Arielle cautiously watched their hushed exchange. "Congratulations on your daughter, Arielle. I need to borrow your husband." He grabbed Bayan's arm and pulled him out of the bedroom.

* * *

Once the doors were closed Bayan was accosted by Ernak, Xena and Gabrielle. He backed up against the door and Csaba leaned his hand on the door so he couldn't escape. Xena smirked and rubbed her fingernails together.

"So good of you to join us, Bayan. We hate to tear you away from your daughter and wife." said Xena. "We acquire your assistance."

"Assistance?" he nervously asked while staring at Ernak and Csaba who were gunning him down.

"Justinian is going to invade several parts of our empire and since you know…you're king and all," she slapped his arm playfully and he flinched. "We need your input and also your men. Are you willing to cooperate with us?"

He bobbed his head rapidly.

"Excellent. Gabrielle, give him the run down." She stepped back and the governor smiled at the frightened Harran king.

She began, "Ernak will ride with you to Assyria with a horde of men from our camp. You two will man the borders together. Csaba and Ebnedzar will be in Dalmatia and Banat. Justinian knows about your tribe most likely and he will attack Harran first. I hope you weren't lying about your numbers otherwise we're going to be in for a rude awakening. You will leave in two months. Any questions?"

"Um, yes…" he looked back at the bedroom doors. "What about my daughter and Arielle? Will they be safe here?"

"Anastasia will be here as will I and Xena. Nothing will happen to them."

Ernak wrapped his arm around Bayan, squeezing him tightly. "We're going to have a great time together!" he cheered with his usual cheery attitude. "I hope the wine is good in Harran because if not, I'll bring my own. Come, we must discuss battle plans. Are there a lot of mountains in Harran because if there are, this is going to be a lot easier than I thought." he ushered a very confused king down the hallway.

Csaba couldn't wipe that mean mug off his face and Gabrielle took notice of it. "He's not so bad, Csaba. You must relax."

"I have my doubts that I will ever grow to like him."

"You don't think anyone will be good enough for your sister," she says and crosses her arms.

He grimaced. "He's a little shit. He's always been like that ever since he stepped foot in Pannonia."

Xena further lit a fire under her grandson and gently pushed aside her calming wife. "Then I should have you know, since you're so protective of your sisters, that a boy name Zacharias has been talking to Cera."

His green eyes enlarged. "She's only twelve!" he immediately became heated and was ready to find the boy. "Where does he stay?"

"In the Thracian camp," Xena said with big grin.

He marched off, muttering to himself and Gabrielle slowly lifted her eyes up to her wife. "You are a mean person. That poor boy is going to run for his life when Csaba finds him."

"Except I just sent him on a goose chase. Zacharias is in the women's quarters with Cera right now."

Gabrielle slapped her forehead, thinking of several reasons to smack her wife for her constant meddling. "I ought to tie you to the bed."

Xena's eyebrows rose into her fringe bangs. "Oh? Is that what you want?" she bit her bottom lip.

"That is  _not_  what I meant." Her cheeks reddened and she sauntered down the hallway, eager to get away.

"Hey, wait a minute Gabrielle; you can't just walk away after you say something like that!"

* * *

Two months later all of the normalcy in the camp halted. Csaba and Ebnedzar left for Dalmatia and Banat ready for Justinian's attack. Ernak and Bayan left earlier than expected after the news of Justinian's men sailing across the Black Sea towards the mountains of Assyria was brought to their attention.

Gabrielle proposed the idea of the school to Farah and she was glad that the queen was very receptive and willing to help. Farah was busy juggling too many things at once and that included looking after the soldiers who were building onto the Adame as well as designing a print for Gabrielle's school. Xena also continued to train her per Ana's request but she had doubts about the girl's willingness to concentrate.

Cera celebrated her thirteenth birthday with only a third of her family present, although she was sort of glad because she could invite Zacharias to her party without the fear of her brother mauling him. She received several gifts from the people inside the camp but she was surprised when she received gifts that she didn't particularly like.

She did like dresses but she didn't like the gifts of perfume and hair items. She definitely wasn't like Arielle and enjoyed the more feminine things but she couldn't understand why she was given so many gifts that she'd never use.

It wasn't until she overheard her mother talking with Ursula and Kreka by accident. They were all planning to bring a boy from the Nezak tribe in Kazakhstan to meet her. All she could hear from the women was that the boy was a chieftain's son and he was supposedly skilled in weaponry and could read and write in three languages.

She felt like she was possibly going to be married off in a few years and she didn't want that for herself. She didn't think it fair since her brother and sister were able to be with whom they wanted and she couldn't. She wondered if her father would arrange this for her if he were still alive.

Cera held this information in for a couple of days until she decided to consult someone who she could trust; her sister. She came into the bedroom and Arielle was busy dressing Aurora who was very fussy and wailing. Ku and Arielle were arguing like an old married couple.

She knocked on the door and Arielle spun around and smiled at her sister. "Cera, come in."

The princess closed the door and smiled at her niece who wouldn't stop crying. She covered her ears and Arielle sighed. "I  _know_. She just won't stop. It's really irritating."

Ku groaned and grabbed the baby and took her into a separate room while she gave the two sisters space to talk. Arielle cleared off the bed of toys, blankets and baby clothes and dumped them into a chair so she could deal with that later.

Tiredly, she pulled her hair away from her face and sat on the bed. She patted the spot next to her and Cera sat. She couldn't help but notice that there was something bothering her sister. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Cera nodded.

"You can tell me. I won't tell anyone," Arielle whispered.

Cera signed quickly and Arielle tried to follow but only got snippets. She grabbed her sister's hands. "You need to slow down, Cera."

The princess groaned and signed right in her sister's face, slow enough for her to understand. Once she was finished explaining their mother's little plan, she sulked and folded her arms. Arielle hung her head and sighed.

"You know Cera, mother thought of doing that to me but it never went through. Maybe this boy won't be so bad? You might like him."

Cera didn't like her sister's answer. She turned and tapped her mute vocal cords in her throat and Arielle smiled warmly. "You'll marry a man who cares a lot about you, Cera. You're very kind and compassionate. Mother isn't going to let you marry a piece of shit."

The two giggled and Cera nodded. She signed, " _Should I tell mother that I know_?"

"Absolutely not."

" _What if the boy is…ugly_?" she smiled.

Arielle lightly punched her sister's arm. "I didn't know you were so shallow, Cera! I doubt mother would let you marry an ugly boy. He's a chieftain's son you said?" she rubbed her chin. "I'm afraid I don't know much about the Nezaks. They are great fighters though."

That didn't make Cera feel better at all.

"Just go with it. If you don't like him, you should tell mother. No wait, tell grandma instead. She'll definitely get rid of him!" she says excitedly and Cera rolled her eyes.

* * *

Xena stood outside with her arms folded, ready to greet this so called son of a Nezak chieftain. She had no idea Anastasia and the two elders were conspiring together to bring this boy here to meet Cera. She found out way too late and now she had to wait for his arrival. She was not happy about it to say the least.

Gabrielle ran out of the Adame to join the rest of the family. She put on her headdress and held it with her hand so it wouldn't fly away from the brisk autumn winds. She slapped her wife's arm. "Why didn't you wake me up? I was late!"

"I didn't want you to witness me possibly beating this boy to death."

"Xena, he's probably really nice. Just relax and we'll see how this goes."

Cera stayed by her mother's side wearing her best black dress and veil to match. She fidgeted with her dress and Anastasia grabbed her hand. "Stop doing that."

Through the gated entrance, horses dressed in fine silk rode in. The man leading the group was the chieftain of one of the tribes in Kazakhstan given by his fur cloak and hat to match. He was rather old to have a son as young as Cera but that indicated he probably had many older sons who had been married off already.

Beside him was the alleged boy Cera was supposed to meet. He too had on a fur cloak and black turban, covering his dark short hair. As they trotted closer to the Adame, Xena held her hand on the hilt of her sword and Gabrielle grabbed her wrist, quite sure she knew what her wife was going to do.

The boy had fair skin, white as snow, unlike the rest of the Huns in Pannonia who had various shades of skin. His eyes were the brightest blue, almost white and haunting. He immediately spotted Cera and smiled at her and she shied away, hiding behind her mother.

He dismounted and his father gave him a box to present to the princess. He passed by Xena and stared up at her. She snarled at him and he kept his head down and quickly skipped over to the rest of the family. Anastasia smiled at the bright blue eyed boy and he presented a gold box.

"Very nice to meet you, Queen Anastasia," he said politely and she gave him a curt nod. "My name is Mirac. I brought this for Princess Cera. I have many gifts for her. May I give this to her?"

Ana stepped aside and exposed Cera hiding. Her eyes widened at the boy named Mirac. His eyes were very daunting and his pale skin was something she'd never seen before, at least not so vibrant that his skin glowed in the sunlight.

"Princess, I've brought this for you. Will you accept my gift?" he says with a big pearly white smile and hands her the box.

Cera raised her eyebrow, cautious of the box. She didn't know anything about this boy and she silently waved her hand and grabbed the box from him. She opened it slowly and her mouth gaped at the necklace and earrings.

"I hope you like them," he says nervously and Cera smiled, thankful for the generous gifts. "I…I learned your language. My father told me that you are unable to speak."

She sighed and handed the box to her mother and ran her fingers through her long hair.

Gabrielle admired how nice the boy was being towards Cera. "He seems very sweet."

"Uh huh," Xena had her watchful eye on Mirac.

The chieftain, Kerem, made his way over to greet everyone. He took off his hat and bowed to Anastasia. "It is very gracious of you to invite us here. My son has been very anxious about meeting your daughter. She is very beautiful."

"She is." Ana pushed Cera forward to get better acquainted with Mirac. "They should spend time together while we have other things to discuss. If you would follow me into the Adame please…"

Xena gripped her sword and stepped in between the two young teenagers. "I will join them. They shouldn't be alone together."

Kerem raised his eyebrow. "And you are?"

"She's my mother," Ana said as she glared at her mother. "And our commander of the empire. You don't mind she follows Cera and Mirac?" she asked the chieftain.

"Of course not," he felt forced to oblige and by the looks of it, the commander wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Gabrielle whispered, "Way to be subtle."

"As if I'm going to let Cera be alone with that boy. Give me a break, Gabrielle." she watched her daughter trail up the stairs with the Nezak chieftain and sensed something was amiss here. Anastasia wasn't against arranged marriages but she didn't particularly like them either. There was something that her daughter wasn't telling her but she was sure she'd find out about it later.

* * *

Cera walked with Mirac in the forest across the river. Xena and Gabrielle trailed behind them at least twenty feet to allow them privacy. Mirac did most of the talking and Cera didn't really know what to say to this Nezak boy. He was very nice and he had a gorgeous face. He was surely to grow into a handsome young man in a few years.

Xena tapped her fingers on her arms and glared at the boy who was walking very close to Cera. "Did Ana mention this to you?"

"No, she didn't," Gabrielle whispered.

"Why wouldn't she tell me about this?"

"Maybe because she thought you'd throw a fit and hurt the boy," she spat and got a disapproving look from her wife. "It's not so farfetched, Xena. You know how you are."

The commander shook her head and rounded the corner, following the two teenagers. "Something is wrong. Anastasia is up to something."

"Or maybe she just wants to find a suitable husband for her daughter in the future?"

"Nah," she dismissed that thought. "She's definitely up to something and I don't know what it is," she murmured. Mirac was rubbing against Cera's arm as he spoke. "No touching!" she yelled and the boy jumped and took a step away from the princess.

Gabrielle nearly tripped over a tree root and caught herself, adjusting her stance quickly before her wife noticed. "You're always so suspicious of everyone. Mirac seems really interested in Cera. Why would Ana arrange this and have a plan hidden away? It doesn't make sense. We're friends with the Nezaks."

"I don't think it has anything to do with the Nezaks. Anastasia is spying on someone, but whom?"

"Xena, I…I have no idea. I think you're over thinking this and would you stop glaring at that boy? He's not doing anything!"

"Not yet."

* * *

Chieftain Kerem was brought into Ana's quarters and once he was given tea, water and food, she was quick to jumpstart the conversation. She was very frank with him and didn't want to waste her time.

"What do you know about the governor of the Yakut tribe?" she asked.

He sipped the tea and slowly lowered the glass to the floor. "What is the interest in the Yakut governor?"

"Just answer my question. Do you know anything about her?"

"I don't know much about her, your highness," he hated to admit given the stern look on her face. "I know her tribe is excommunicated from the empire and she is Bleda's widow. Everyone knows it."

She nods slowly, gathering information. "Has she been a problem for your people?"

Kerem half smiled. "Not recently. She did try to invade my tribe about ten years ago but we came to an agreement."

"And what agreement might that be?"

"We share grain across our borders. The Yakuts normally keep to themselves and do not cause trouble."

Anastasia smirked. "You seem to know a lot about the tribe for someone who claims not to know much about them."

"Your highness, if I may, you asked me to bring my son to court your daughter yet you talk about the Yakut governor. Why is that?"

"Attila banished the tribe from ever joining the empire many years ago, before I was born. I have no issues with the Nezaks but it is rather strange that your tribe exchanges food with the banished tribe of my empire. I would hate to indict a coup in your area, chieftain. Because as you might know, deals such as this are not permitted and are considered treasonous."

She added, "My eldest daughter had a conversation with the governor. She found her in Assyria. Why would the governor make her way to Assyria? It's very far from her area. Do you know anything about that?"

Kerem felt like he was being interrogated and ambushed by the Hun queen. He didn't know that this meeting was going to turn out like this but if he continued to lie, things would not turn out well for him. He removed his hat and brushed his fingers through his thick long hair.

"Madhiya goes to Assyria frequently," he admitted and Ana listened. Her face was blank and showed no emotion throughout. "She buys slaves and takes them back to her tribe every spring and summer. I do not know why else she would be there."

"I believe you and trust you, Kerem," she says and saw relief cross his face. "I want you to do something for me since we are allies. I want you to spy on the Yakut tribe for me. Tell me what Madhiya does at all times."

He nodded, agreeing to her terms. "And what of my son? Has this meeting been for nothing?"

"I like your son. He showed kindness to me and my daughter. We'll see how that pans out. For now, I expect your full cooperation with my demands."

* * *

Arielle walked out onto the field to meet with her grandmother and Gabrielle who were both eyeing the boy who Cera was supposed to court. She carried Aurora on her hip and nudged her grandmother's arm. Xena, instantly distracted by the little princess, grinned and turned her attention away from Cera and Mirac.

Xena grabbed Aurora into her arms and gazed at the fine silk black clothing that she wore, gifted by Farah of course. "Don't you look nice," she said and Aurora gawked at her with big hazel eyes.

"Yeah, only took me two hours to put it on her and  _keep_  it on her," Arielle grumbled. She looked onward at her sister sitting with the Nezak boy. "So, that's the boy huh? What's he like?"

Gabrielle smiled at the two young teens. "He's very sweet. I'm not sure what Cera thinks of him."

"She just met him. I'm sure they'll have plenty of time to get to know one another," she says and looks at her daughter who is fascinated by Xena's hair and fur collar. "So grandma…when are you gonna train me to be commander?"

Xena furrowed her brows and Aurora's hand grabbed her cheek. She was caught off guard and clutched onto the child's fist and Aurora gurgled with a big smile. It was hard to concentrate and not laugh. "Not yet, Arielle. Stop being so impatient."

"Oh come on. It's been two months since I've had Aurora. I can handle it! Ku can watch her for me. Please?"

"We are not doing this  _again_. You are not going to be the whiny little brat you were last year."

Arielle bit her bottom lip. "You're right. I promised I wouldn't be like that."

"Old habits die hard," muttered Gabrielle.

Arielle scoffed and held out her arms. "Can I have my daughter back now?"

Xena sneered. "No. You surrendered her to me. She's mine for the time being."

"Grandma! Aren't you supposed to be watching Cera?"

"I can do two things at once."

She balled her fists and Gabrielle snickered under her breath at the two. "Hypocritical! It never changes with you!"


	55. Chapter 55

**It's been very difficult for me to research throughout this series and to follow a somewhat accurate timeline. As usual at the end of every story in this series, I've included blurbs of some of the historical events/characters at the end of this chapter.**

**I do actually have room to write a part 4 to this series but I'm not sure if everyone would read it lol. We'll see.**

**Enjoy and thank you for reading everyone!**

Epilogue

Four Years Later

_They sent me daughters when I asked for sons_

Xena leaned on a table and used a long pointer to guide her way through a map set up on an easel. She was roped into teaching a class about weapons and their uses and where they originated from. Gabrielle's school was built in a year and all children from the ages of four and above were allowed to attend. Everyone was welcome, but Xena was really starting to hate this job.

She whacked the map with her pointing stick and all of the young boys and girls flinched. Farah's boys, Aman, Aladar and Edemen sat in the front together. Issik and Muqan sat together and were not very interested in today's lesson at all. Muqan was the same age as Farah's youngest sons and he was super distracted all the time, unable to focus and constantly needed to be fidgeting with something to keep his mind occupied.

"Let's try this again. Where does a scimitar come from?" she asked the class.

Aman raised his hand eagerly and she sighed. The twin princes always knew the answers to everything and sometimes blurted out the answers but Xena put a stop to that when she whacked them with the stick in the first week of classes. Now they at least raised their hands.

"Someone other than Aman…" she said and looked around at the class. She smiled at Oran's littlest son. "Muqan," she picked him out and the fair skinned boy lifted his black eyes. "Where does the scimitar originate from?"

He twiddled his thumbs and looked at his older brother, Issik. "Um…I…I donno."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and Aman waved his hand in the air, lifting off the ground. "Fine, Aman, what is the answer?"

"Persia!"

"Correct," she said and pointed to the location. She tapped the stick against her palms. "What about the shamshir? Anyone?"

Aladar and Aman both raised their hands and she grimaced at them. "Not you two. I know you know the answer." She hissed and they lowered their arms. She caught Edemen snoozing and kicked his boot. He awoke and his little brothers giggled. "Edemen, where does the shamshir come from?"

"Oh uh," he rubbed his head. "Arabia?" he guessed.

"That's correct. Don't fall asleep in my class." She warned him of the consequences to be held. She set the stick down on the table and folded her arms. "Alright, get out of here. We're done for today."

All of the children quickly ran out of the classroom and Gabrielle stepped out of the way as she was nearly stampeded by tiny students. When the room was cleared she walked in, smiling at her wife. "How was class today?"

Xena took the map off the easel and rolled it up. "Terrible. Farah's boys are too smart to be in this class and nobody pays attention. I think Muqan has a learning problem. He's so distracted by everything. A butterfly could pass by and he watches it for an hour!"

"Welcome to my life. Teaching isn't easy. You have to make it fun for them otherwise they'll think it's boring."

"Weapons aren't fun! They're dangerous and they are not play toys."

Gabrielle crossed her arms, wagging her head. "Xena, they're children not soldiers. Try a different approach next time. Nobody wants to learn about how a sword is made or where it originated from. They just want to see the sword stab through the enemy." She made spurting sounds with her mouth and pumped her fist.

Xena cringed in slight disgust. "How am I going to keep them interested?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something. You can be very creative when you want to."

Xena raised her eyebrow and set her supplies into a chest and head out of the room, closing the door behind her. They walked out of the school together and saw Arielle with a horde of young  _women_ , mostly teenagers, running altogether with Arielle leading the way ahead of the group. Xena's eyes widened and she gripped the key in her fist.

"What the hell is this?!" she yelled.

Gabrielle cringed slapped a hand over her eyes.

Xena had been training Arielle over the last four years and while her granddaughter picked up cues quickly, she was skeptical and this one of the reasons. An army of women was not something she wanted and Arielle yelled at the girls to keep up in their jogging horde.

She marched onto the field and pushed a few men out of the way who were ogling the women wearing cropped tops and long skin tight pants. She stood in front of the path and Arielle skid to a stop and raised her hand. All of the girls ran into each other and some fell on top of one another.

Arielle swung her long curly ponytail out of her face and rested her hands on her hips, breathing in and out heavily. "Grandma," she smiled. "We're going for a morning run. Would you like to join us?"

Xena frowned. "No thank you. Arielle, what is this? Are you training girls to be in the army?"

"Why not? Women have a right to join too. We have plenty of able bodied girls here. I took a survey a month ago and they all wanted to train with me. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Now that you  _mention_  it; yes I do."

Arielle looked back at the girl trainees. "I'd love to talk but not now, okay? We have to make two more laps around the field. See you later!" she smiled and waved her hand for the horde of girls to continue jogging with her.

"Arielle!" she yelled. She turned her eyes to a couple of young boys, gawking at the half dressed girls. She grabbed a staff leaning on a yurt, used for stirring laundry in a hot bin and whacked the back of their heads with it.

Gabrielle covered her mouth at the disgruntled young men and they walked off, rubbing the backs of their heads. "Well, she is ambitious. You have to give her that."

"I did not approve this."

"Are you against women joining the army?"

Xena groaned. "She should be training the recruits we already have not spend her time conditioning girls who have no background in combat."

The governor smiled. "I have faith in her. You should too." She slapped the back of her wife's thigh and Xena gasped. "Soon she won't even need your permission to do anything!"

* * *

Bayan rode into Pannonia carrying Aurora in front of him on the saddle. He searched for Arielle and saw her screaming at a bunch of women and pushing people to the ground. Aurora looked over and he put his hand over her eyes and jumped off the horse. He grabbed his daughter and lifted her off the horse.

Aurora spat some of her long wavy locks out of her mouth and adjusted her scrunched blouse. He tried to fix her hair and she immediately whined and shoved him away. Bayan put up his hands and backed away from his incredibly fussy daughter.

"Where's mommy?" she asked.

"She's um, she's a little busy right now."

"Why now?" Aurora ran in front of the horse and saw her mother screaming at the female trainees. The princess widened her big green eyes and batted her long eyelashes. "Why's she so mad?"

Bayan panicked and led his daughter away from the commotion and pulled her into his arms and ran up the stairs into the Adame. She kept looking over his shoulder and rubbed her tired eyes, yawning deeply. Given that Arielle stayed in Pannonia training to be commander they decided to split up their parenting and exchange Aurora back and forth several times out of the year.

It worked for awhile but now Bayan was growing tired of coming back to Pannonia every couple of months to drop off Aurora. He desperately needed to talk to Arielle and tell her this arrangement wasn't working anymore.

Anastasia came downstairs and Aurora gasped. She wiggled out of her father's arms and ran up the stairs. Ana smiled and her granddaughter crashed into her. She ran her fingers through Aurora's light brown hair which was only a shade darker than her olive skin. The girl truly looked hardly anything like Arielle and she was a strange girl. She liked to bring in reptiles from outside and apparently Bayan let her keep a giant snake in the bedroom back in Harran. It was quite a funny sight to see when Farah's boys run in horror from the reptiles Aurora brought to the Adame.

Anastasia, not trusting the girl, quickly pat her down for any strange animals she might be hiding in her pockets or boots.

Xena stormed into the Adame and glared at her daughter. "Anastasia! We must talk about Arielle. She just –" she paused when Aurora turned around. She forced a smile. "Aurora, you're here."

"I'm tired…" Aurora said softly.

Ana picked her up and kissed her forehead. "Mother can you take her?" she asked and Xena knitted her brows. "Please?" she begged. Her mother narrowed her eyes but took Aurora into her arms and wrapped a hand around the girl's head.

Aurora yawned and rest her head on Xena's shoulder, trying to keep her eyes open to listen in on the adults' conversations but sleep was giving in. Xena whispered, covering the child's ears. "You tell Arielle to come see me when she's available."

"I'll make sure to tell her," said Ana. She then glared at Bayan and walked outside to go grab her daughter to discuss other things besides whatever her mother wanted her for.

* * *

Gabrielle waited in the bedroom for her wife to return from tucking in Aurora. Xena arrived and closed the door quietly and let out a huge sigh. "Rough day, huh?" she teased.

"That girl says she's tired but she won't ever go to sleep. She wanted me to tell her a story and we all know I'm not good at those."

"Sure you are…sometimes. If you leave the blood and killing out, your tales are remarkable!" Gabrielle laughed whole heartedly.

"You must think you're so funny," Xena walked over to the table and snatched the bottle of wine and poured a large helping for herself. "How was your Latin class? Hopefully better than my class."

The governor sat back in the chair and propped her boots on the table. "It was very good actually but I have it easy. I got all of the older children. Did you know Talat and Tolan are really good calligraphers. Farah would be very impressed. I told them if they could write a page, they can show Ursula."

Xena smiled and sipped the wine generously. "Who knew Ebnedzar's boys were good at writing. There's hope for them yet."

"I got a letter from Csaba. He and Ernak are busy at the border fighting with Justinian."

"Romans," Xena snarled. "Nothing will ever kill that man. He's like a bug that you can never squish with the underside of your boot." She clenched her fist tightly, turning her knuckles bright white.

Gabrielle could never quite get over her wife's vengeance for all Romans. "Yes…a bug," she clears her throat and continues, "Ernak is doing a great job keeping Justinian's men out of Banat but with the rate of his expanding empire, I fear that we'll never be rid of him."

"More work for Arielle in the future," she saluted with her glass and grinned.

"Are you still upset that she is training the young women of Pannonia?"

Xena shrugged her shoulder, choosing not to answer. The less focused she was on Arielle's ambitions, the calmer she was.

"Well, I for one think it's a great idea! This generation will change the empire forever. Fresh faces can be a good thing and Arielle hasn't disappointed you yet in the last four years. You have to admit that she's very good at being a commander."

"She has a lot to learn." Xena picked out a fruit fly in her wine and flicked it into the fireplace behind her. "The real test is when she has to actually enter a battlefield. Plans don't always work out the way you want them to in a war. She will have to think quickly and strategize accordingly."

Gabrielle nodded, agreeing with that. There were several times when plans went awry and Xena had to think on her feet and come up with a solution. Constantinople was one of those times when they were stuck on the wall for days on end, threatening to surrender.

"I believe in her and I know you do too." She hinted and tapped her wife's hand. "Come on, I want to hear you say it." She leaned on the table with a big smile.

Xena grumbled. "Fine. I believe she will be a great commander. Does that satisfy you?"

She reached over and pecked her lips. "Yes it does. Thank you."

* * *

Bayan paced around the suite, unsure how to approach the subject of changing the dynamics of his marriage. He didn't want to keep going back and forth from Assyria to Pannonia just for the sake of Aurora. He wanted Arielle to come home but now that she has taken the role of commander, he knew this was never going to work and he couldn't be absent from Harran for long periods of time.

Arielle slipped into the room, going unnoticed by her husband. She stripped herself of her cropped blouse, pants and boots. She let down her long curly hair and slowly crept behind him. Suddenly, she jumped onto his back and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Being away for a few months wasn't so bad, she thought. She knew they worked better when they weren't at each other's throats all the time. She enjoyed his return to Pannonia every two months when he brought their daughter back with him.

He grabbed her fleshy thigh and widened his eyes, realizing she was completely naked. She jumped off him and came round to face him. His eyes traveled down to her breasts and tapered waist, showing off her lean abdominal muscles.

She grabbed his arm and threw him on the bed and climbed on top of him. Bayan gasped, staring into her hungry blue eyes. "Where's Aurora?" she asked in a breathy voice.

He stammered, "she –she's in bed. Your grandmother took her."

"Good." She kissed his neck and ripped open his shirt and her lips trailed down his bare chest. He closed his eyes, trying not to let her wandering mouth distract him although it was difficult. She smelled of sweat and dirt from being in the field all day.

She lifted her eyes and laid her body against his. She pinched his chin and his eyes shot wide open. She laughed at his coyness and he half smiled. "Are you not happy to see me?"

"I'm always happy to see you but we should talk first."

She rolled off of him and he gawked at her toned body. He threw a blanket at her. "But please cover yourself. I can't talk with you looking like that."

Arielle grinned mischievously and wrapped the blanket around herself and cuddled close to him. He sighed and wishes she wouldn't do that. It was making this conversation a lot harder than it needed to be.

"You know I wanted to talk to you too," she said and he raised his thick brows. "We should have a baby. I can still do all my training until the birth. Aurora would be so happy to have a little brother or sister. I know you asked two years ago but I just wasn't ready. I was too busy at the time but now Aurora is older. What do you think?"

He lowered his eyes and got off the bed, pacing around again. "Arielle, we can't do that."

"How come? I thought you wanted to have more children."

"Yes…"

"So…?"

He ran his hand across his face. "Arielle, I met someone else in an excursion across the Mongolian Steppes," he blurted out. The shear shock crossed her face and she furrowed her eyebrows. "Her name is Sarnai."

She stayed quiet and got off the bed and walked over to grab a towel to bathe, refusing to acknowledge his presence. She wrapped a silk robe around her body and heard him sigh heavily in the background.

"Get rid of her," she says.

Bayan frowned. "I can't do that."

"Then I'll do it!" she turned around swiftly with fiery eyes. "Tell me where she is so I can rip her throat out."

"Arielle, I can't! She's carrying my child."

Her eyes widened and she ran towards him and slammed him into the door, knocking it open. They fell onto the floor in the hallway. She tried to pin his arms to the ground but his strength far beyond her and he flipped her over, now on top of her. She kneed his groin and he hissed, biting his tongue but still held her arms to the floor.

The two squabbled and squirmed on the floor like a pair of rats fighting over the leftover flesh of a dead animal. "Arielle! Stop it!" he pleaded and she was able to get one hand free and pushed his face away from hers.

* * *

In the middle of Gabrielle reading quietly and her wife, sharpening a sword, they heard a lot of thumping on the second floor above them. Gabrielle looked at the ceiling and the chandelier in their room swayed gently.

Xena raised her eyebrow and the yelling from above was not to be misheard. She set her sword aside and ran outside. Aurora came out of her room and Xena rushed over to her, begging her to go back into her bedroom.

"Aurora, go back to bed." She said and then heard Arielle calling Bayan foul names. The girl's mouth gaped. "Just go." She wasn't taking no for an answer and closed the door.

Gabrielle ran to her side. "Was that Arielle?"

"I think so."

They ran up the stairs and were horrified to see husband and wife beating each other up. It was more of Arielle beating Bayan while he tried to evade her legs, knees and elbows to the ribs. Xena ran over and grabbed her granddaughter's arms and pried her off Bayan and held her in a bear hug.

"Enough!" she yelled and Arielle breathed heavily, blowing hair away from her face. "I said enough!" she squeezed the young commander until Arielle winced.

Bayan rose from the floor and rolled his neck and shoulders. Gabrielle cautiously approached and put up her hands. "What is going on?" she asked.

"He fucked a Mongolian whore!" Arielle spat.

Xena glared at him and released her granddaughter to continue attacking him. Gabrielle stepped in between them and put her hands on Arielle's shoulders. "No! There will be no more of this! Understand?" she said and Arielle was ready to attack her husband. "Understand?!"

Arielle lifted her chin and fixed her ruffled hair and smoothed down her sleeves. "I suggest…you find somewhere else to sleep."

She stormed back into the suite and slammed the door. Bayan sighed and rubbed his aching neck then caught his wife's grandmother glaring at him, ready to kill him at any moment. He questioned his ability to take her on even though he was much younger than her. He silently walked off down the hall and skipped down the stairs.

Gabrielle set her hands on hips and exhaled. "I can't believe he'd do that to her."

"Believe it, Gabrielle."

* * *

Anastasia enjoyed her life better now than she ever did. She did miss Ellac and she definitely missed exchanging letters with Navaz but she hadn't spoken to him a lot in the last four years. Safiya was still very upset as she should be. Now that Farah was in charge of the majority of the empire, Anastasia lived a life of leisure and was able to do more things for herself.

This included tending to the khatun whose health had deteriorated over the years. She was hardly able to stand on her own and spoke hoarsely due to the rapidly spreading infection in her lungs. It was difficult to see as Kreka had been so strong for so long and now her hair had gone completely silver, void of its famous black sheen. Her skin pale and body thin compared to her slender physique which exuded such power.

Ana entered the khatun's room and set down a tray of soup, water and juice. She saw the khatun on her back, sleeping soundly. She half smiled and swung open the curtains to the windows and tied the tassels around the thick curtains.

"Kurt is taking Gabrielle's Latin class," she spoke aloud and received no response. She walked over and opened the other curtains to let the sunlight in. "He says he hates it but he loves Farah's math class. He says it's very helpful to his blacksmithing."

She frowned and turned around, staring at the silent khatun who had yet to awaken. Ana let the curtains slip from her hands and slowly tread to the bed. "Kreka?" she whispered. She held her breath and paddled the queen mother's thigh to wake her up.

Kreka's arm fell limp off her chest and flung over the side of the bed. Anastasia gasped and took a step back. She took a few moments to gather herself and then bravely grabbed the khatun's cold hand and felt her wrist. She snatched her hand away and put a hand over her mouth.

She figured that the khatun passed in her sleep last night as she was wide awake yesterday, talking to Nisa and her grandsons. Anastasia grabbed the khatun's arm and gently set it over her chest and backed away.

Anastasia closed the door on her way out and leaned against the wall for a few moments. Nisa came with fresh linen from the laundry to change her mother in law's sheets. "Is she awake? I have new sheets."

Ana lifted her wet eyes and Nisa furrowed her eyebrows then eyed the closed doors. She dropped the sheets and rushed into the room and Ana heard Nisa's cries from inside. She walked away from the room to keep her distance.

* * *

When the news of the khatun's death spread around the camp; many people came to the Adame to bring gifts. Ernak was away with Csaba but when he was to return, he was going to be devastated. He loved his mother and now he had both his parents ripped away from him as well as Bakkah and two older brothers. He'd only have Ebnedzar left as a part of his immediate family.

The maids dressed Kreka in one of her finest dresses and her infamous burgundy headdress known to everyone. After Utiger, Kurt and Nisa were able to spend time with her while she lay in bed, Xena came in last. She didn't want to at first but convinced herself to after everyone left and it was after dark.

She stood over the bed, staring at the lifeless queen mother. She tapped Kreka's shiny boots gingerly and fixed her collar that was a bit lopsided. Xena never thought that Kreka would be the one to die before she did. She always thought she'd be the first to go and Kreka would live much longer than her, perhaps another twenty years, but that wasn't the case.

She looked behind her at the closed doors and sat on the bed next to the khatun. Smiling, she adjusted the headdress. "Perfect," she says softly.

She knew how stingy the khatun could be when it came to dressing well. She always looked very polished and illuminated beauty even during the worst of times. Xena had seen death many times but never had it hurt her so much to see her longtime friend's body before her. She was tempted to look away but she couldn't.

Gabrielle mentioned several times that she kept her feelings bottled up a lot. She knew that was true and she never truly grieved properly for anyone of her loved ones who passed. Talking. Gabrielle was good at talking.

"So," she began, "who am I supposed to call 'dragon lady' now?" she playfully joked with a smile. She was expecting the khatun to reach over and slap her or come back with an insult. Xena frowned sadly and buried her face in her hands.

Gabrielle searched for her wife for awhile and had an idea of where she might be. She creaked open the door to Kreka's bedroom and saw Xena on the bed like a dark shadow, looming over the queen mother's body. She cracked a soft smile and closed the door quietly.

* * *

Three days after Kreka Khatun's funeral and Xena performed a dirge for her departure since the queen liked her voice so much, Anastasia was gifted a black kozak. She looked into her mother's eyes that stood afar on the field near the stairs of the Adame.

Farah, being the only other queen here, had to distribute the kozak. Anastasia averts her eyes back to Farah and she bent her knees slightly. The black headdress was placed on her head and Farah adjusted the veil to frame her chiseled face.

Everyone standing in the crowd reluctantly clapped and the atmosphere was dark and tense. The air still smelt of burning ashes and embers from the funeral days earlier. Ana put on a face and smiled gently at the citizens and thanked Farah for her help distributing the kozak. The people began to disperse and Ana descended down the stairs to greet her mother and Gabrielle.

The governor gripped the queen's shoulder briefly. Xena folded her arms, staring at her daughter's elaborate headdress which she normally did not wear on a daily basis. Kreka wore one religiously and hardly anyone ever saw her long hair hidden beneath it.

"I feel weird."

Xena remembered those exact words when her daughter was a child. She was trying on dresses for the first time in her life and those were the words she spoke long ago. She also had the same expression on her face; clueless, dazed and confused.

"Does this mean we have to call you Anastasia Khatun now?" Xena teased.

"I'd rather you not."

Gabrielle admired the beaded headdress and nodded. "You deserve the title, Ana. You're the queen mother now. Anything you say will be set in stone," she tried to make light of the situation.

"It doesn't feel right to take her title. I don't think I am worthy of it."

Xena titled her head, giving her daughter a disapproving look. "Don't doubt yourself. You're a great queen and she'd want you to do her title justice."

The newly crowned khatun nodded. She felt somewhat reassured of her new position and lifted her black dress to head back up the stairs.

Gabrielle turned to her wife who watched Anastasia disappear into the wooden palace. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." She squeezed the governor's hand. "That bitch will always be watching me anyway," she joked and Gabrielle punched her bicep. "What? She loves my little jabs at her. I'm sure she's fuming mad right now as we speak. Perhaps I should expect her to haunt my dreams." She wiggled her fingers.

"I hope she does!" Gabrielle rolled her eyes and walked towards the Adame.

Xena snickered and then felt a cold chill against her shoulder. She spun around and gripped her shoulder, eyeing the empty field surrounding her. Her eyes roamed the area and then looked at the bright blue sky above. She frowned and cautiously walked backwards due to her suspicious nature of all things spiritual.

"Gabrielle!" she cried out and darted across the field.

* * *

Arielle was finishing unpacking her daughter's clothes and angrily stuffing them into the drawers. She slammed each drawer shut before opening another. She hadn't seen or spoken to Bayan in a week and with Kreka's unexpected death, she didn't know how her life was going to pan out anymore. She thought she had a good marriage with Bayan despite the long distance but now everything changed and it only took a second of him blurting out he got his whore pregnant. Now she knew why Ku had ignored her letters and hadn't written back to her.

She missed Ku a lot but thought it'd be better if she stayed in Harran since Aurora made frequent visits. When she stopped receiving letters from Ku she wondered if the woman had gotten terribly busy but everything made sense now.

Aurora sat on the bed, playing with a toy. She eyed her mother who was obviously in a bad mood. She was too young to understand the death of a person and hardly knew Kreka so the funeral was a bit jarring to her.

"Mommy, did you find Esen?"

Arielle paused and turned to her daughter with red puffy eyes. "What?"

"Esen," she repeated.

"Oh," Arielle searched through the chest of clothes that Bayan sent with their daughter. Esen was a blanket that Ku made for Aurora and she always had it with her on the bed. She struggled to find the said blanket and slapped her knees.

"Sorry,  _tatli kiz_ , I can't seem to find Esen. You must have left him back in Harran."

The princess gasped. "But, but I  _need_  him!"

Arielle smiled softly. "I know. I can write Ku and ask her to send it to us because you won't be going back to Harran."

"I won't?"

She grabbed the little princess and held her in her lap on the bed. "No, you're going to stay with me here in Pannonia. You like it here right?" she asks and Aurora nodded while still playing with the toy.

"Is daddy staying too?"

Arielle pursed her mouth and she didn't want to disappoint her daughter. She knew Aurora loved Bayan and aside from his recent affairs, he had been a very good father. She lied instead, "No, he has to go back."

The princess nodded, accepting her life the way it had been since she was born. "'Cause war stuff?"

"Yes," the commander grinned sadly. "War stuff." She picked up her daughter and set her on the floor and bent over to her eye level. "Hey, I have to go train. I'll take you to see your grandmother. Would you like that?"

The girl grinned. "Yeah! Will she take me to the river again? I like that place."

* * *

Anastasia stood off to the side in a hallway, watching Cera and Mirac paint a mural together in the ballroom. She was very protective over her youngest child especially after what happened with Csaba and Arielle. She never had to worry about Csaba as she knew he was very grounded and smart. He and Farah hardly knew each other but they'd been married for almost ten years now and lived happily.

Arielle was another story entirely but now that she was older and had a child of her own, Ana didn't worry about her as much. Arielle drove herself to the highest limits and often overwhelmed herself but she liked the stress; it was invigorating to her. Ana saw much of her mother in Arielle especially now that Arielle was almost twenty two years old. They liked to take extreme risks and didn't think about other people who were affected around them. It was an admirable skill sometimes. Anastasia sometimes wished she was more like her mother and daughter in that respect.

Gabrielle surprised the queen mother and looked on with her at Cera and Mirac. This arranged relationship was perhaps the only one to actually work as the teenagers respected one another and had a lot in common. Gabrielle figured that Mirac was so infatuated with Cera that he loved anything she did. He came back and forth between Kazakhstan and Pannonia several times over the course of the last four years. He definitely wasn't the little boy who gifted Cera jewelry anymore.

Cera was so unlike her siblings, it was strange. She was very kind and sweet compared to Csaba and Arielle who could be a little hotheaded and stubborn at times –more so Arielle than Csaba. The redheaded princess had grown into a beautiful young woman who was now taller than Arielle and her mother but met her brother's height and Mirac's. It was lucky that Mirac was tall.

"He really loves her. I can tell he'd do anything for her," the governor remarked.

Anastasia smiled and touched the black kozak veil gently. "Yes, he would. More than I can say for Bayan." She says bitterly.

"Arielle told you what happened."

"Yes and I'm shocked Bayan would do that to my daughter. He is a great father to Aurora but a poor husband. He reminds me of Attila –never satisfied with one woman. Arielle told me that she wanted another child," she whispered.

Gabrielle hung her head and sighed. "Maybe she will forgive him."

"I doubt that. She's been occupying herself in her training for two weeks to bottle up her feelings."

"Are you going to talk to her?"

Ana waved her hand with a small smile. "I've learned to stay away. If she wants to talk to me she will. Mother was right. Arielle will never change who she is and I should've accepted that a long time ago. She follows no one's rules. They are more alike than I thought."

The governor nodded, agreeing entirely. Their cover was blown when Cera and Mirac turned around. They slipped away from the doorway and grinned at one another. Mirac could be heard telling Cera about Anastasia's indiscreet spying.

"They've caught us," she told Gabrielle with mirth in her blue eyes.

"Are you going to announce the wedding? We could use some good news around here," Gabrielle implied that Kreka's passing was really draining for the entire camp and empire as a whole.

Ana peered into the ballroom at her daughter and knitted her brows. She wasn't opposed to her and Mirac getting married and god knows that his father was bugging her about it for the last year. She hated to let go of her last child. She naively thought that she could hold onto Cera forever thinking she'd never grow up and remain her baby. But at seventeen, Cera was not a child anymore and she had a far more stable life than Csaba and Arielle ever did.

"I'll talk with Cera and ask if that's what she wants to do. I don't want to pressure her."

Gabrielle was skeptical of that. Cera had been asking her mother for a year to marry Mirac. "Ana, you can't keep her here for the rest of her life."

"Why not?" she teased.

"She'll be fine on her own. You raised her well."

Ana exhaled heavily and folded her arms, eyeing Mirac help with the mural as best as he could, given that he wasn't a good artist. "If she gets married she will have to move to Kazakhstan and it could be a year or longer before I see her again."

"There's always letters. You won't have to worry about Cera. She's very smart. Kreka left her tribe to marry Attila and I think she did pretty well for herself," Gabrielle smiles, remembering the headstrong khatun.

"You make a good argument, Gabrielle," she turned with a sparkling smile. "Where's my mother?"

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "She's teaching her class right now."

"She's not used to teaching children. I'm sure she's going stir crazy."

* * *

The retired commander tried to approach her young students with her usual geography lesson but it wasn't easy keeping a group of thirty children from ages four to thirteen interested in the history of weaponry. The children were bored and Aurora was a late comer to the class. She was more interested in a huge spider she found behind the school and none of the other children wanted to be around her.

Xena decided to gather up all of her students and bring them to the courtyard in front of the school. She organized them by age and height and put them in three rows of ten facing her. Gabrielle said to make the lessons more fun and she forgot that children were not soldiers and their attention span was that of a fly. She took her wife's suggestion into consideration and acted upon it.

She took some red paint from Cera's art room and smeared the paint on each child's face individually and they all were instantly more awake than when they were in the classroom earlier. They eagerly looked at one another and didn't know what was happening but they didn't care. The paint was far more intriguing than sitting in a boring history class.

Xena walked back to the front and stared at all the painted faces and smirked. They looked ridiculous but they were having fun at least. Even all three of Csaba's sons who pride in looking their best, enjoyed being dirty and even smeared the paint in their trimmed slicked back locks.

She set the mood. "Alright, all of you have red painted faces and you're on a mission. Mind you, this is a stealth mission," she explained and all the children eagerly waited for more. "Colors are very important to stealth missions. So, if you're covered in red paint, where would you be on the map?"

Muqan, who was usually distracted and quiet, blurted out, "the desert!"

"Right," she nodded with a satisfied smile. "But  _which_  desert?"

Edemen scoffed. "Arabia of course."

"That desert is brown!" Aman yelled up at his older brother. "It will be Tunis 'cause of the mountains," he says proudly with a cheeky grin and Edemen rolled his eyes. " _Stupid_ ," he muttered.

"We don't call soldiers names, Aman. We're all part of the same team," she reminded the prince and he shamefully turned away from all his classmates' stares. "Now, if you were all paying attention in class; what kind of weapon would you use for this mission?"

Again Muqan said, "scimitar!" he cheered with big black eyes and Xena raised her eyebrow at the quiet Gokturk prince. She was surprised he was so focused.

Gabrielle walked up, confused as to why there was an entire class outside of the school. She waltzed over to the front of the group and stared at the children's red painted faces. "Uh…Xena what is going on?"

"We're on a stealth mission in Tunis," she explained and the governor furrowed her puzzled brows. "You said make the lessons fun so here we are."

"I see…" she couldn't help but smile at all the bright faces around her. "Are you all having a good time?" she asks the children and they nodded, throwing their arms in the air, yelling loudly. She cringed and covered her ears briefly.

"Wow, you have such eager pupils," she adds and pulls her wife aside away from the children. "Ana decided to announce Cera's wedding to Mirac."

Xena looked disappointed and a hint of sadness crossed her face. She hated to see Cera leave Pannonia but it was inevitable. She was glad that Mirac wasn't a piece of shit like some other men. Her mind drifted to Bayan and he was already long gone back to Harran to be with his pregnant Mongolian mistress.

"I will miss her."

Gabrielle nods. "I know. Me too. Someone else will have to take over her class when she leaves."

"Do not ask me to teach an art class."

"I wasn't," she chuckled. "You can't draw to save your life." She rubbed her chin and her wife nudged her roughly. "I'm sure we can find someone."

Aurora held a simple garden snake in her hand that she found in the courtyard and showed her squeamish cousins. Aman and Aladar screamed and made disgusted faces. "It's just a snake!" she says and shoves the animal in their faces.

"Aurora, stop! You're so gross!" yells Aladar.

"Yeah! You're not a normal girl!" the twin brother agrees.

Both Xena and Gabrielle cracked up at the grossed out twin princes. Aurora was desperately trying to show them the harmless snake and they ran away to hide behind Edemen but that obviously didn't stop her. The boys screamed in horror acting like it was some venomous snake that was ready to strike at any moment.

"He's cute!" Aurora said with a big grin, getting a kick out of her cousins' fears. "Come on! Just look at his face! He won't bite!"

"Something is wrong with that child," muttered Gabrielle.

Xena sneakily smiled. "Are you afraid of snakes, Gabrielle?"

" _Me_? Nope."

"Yeah? Then why don't you go touch it?" She shoved her wife forward.

"Xena!"

* * *

A couple of months later Ernak and Csaba returned from battling against Justinian's army in lower Banat. They were victorious only because Justinian pulled back his army for now. He'd surely return for more but until then, the army came back in good spirits. All was well until Ernak was told by Anastasia that his mother passed two months ago.

His reaction was expected to be horrible just as Ana predicted. He was completely heartbroken that he missed his mother's death and funeral. He felt more a failure as a son and now he was more alone than ever. He lost two of his brothers and mother in a short amount of time. In the back of his mind he thought his mother's health was fading quickly but he refused to believe it. She was always so good at hiding her pain and suffering but this time he wished she wouldn't have done that.

It was her slow painful death that hurt him the most. He couldn't do anything to help her and she was so stubborn that she refused the help. Anastasia told him that she tended to Kreka during her last few months before her death. That somewhat comforted him to know that his mother wasn't ever alone. She was surrounded by her family. He made a promise to both his deceased parents that he'd be the best king of the empire when he was a child. Now, he had to fulfill that promise. He didn't want to let either one of them down.

Bayan's infidelity reached Csaba as soon as he set foot on Pannonian soil. Instead of going into a fit of rage over his brother in law's affair, he felt sorry for his little sister. He really wanted the best for her and now her marriage was basically over and done with. He knew that Arielle would never forgive Bayan for what he had done. He only suggested to her that Bayan be allowed to see Aurora only because he knew what life was like without a father when he was that young.

Aside from the horrible news upon the two kings' return, the only good piece of news was Cera's wedding. Mirac's entire family came to Pannonia. He had five brothers and two sisters, all who were married and a lot older than him. All of the rooms in the Adame were filled and it was very busy all around.

A lot of his siblings had children of their own and were able to play with all of the royal children. Everyone was occupied with something. Ursula offered to make the wedding dress and told Anastasia that she needed help. She offered to teach the new khatun how to sew again. She figured that Cera's dress was important and that Ana be a part of the process despite her lack of sewing skills.

Gabrielle was in the mailroom organizing all of the letters that went in and out of the empire. The messenger came to her and handed her a letter from Navaz. She immediately stopped what she was doing to read it.

She regretted reading the letter and sighed heavily. She knew this news was going to ruin everyone's good spirits but she had to relay the message. On her way out she headed to Ana's quarters where her wife and Ursula were working on Cera's dress.

She interrupted the session and Cera was standing on a stool while Ursula was pinning the bottom of the gown. Gabrielle immediately went to her wife's side and handed her the letter in silence. Xena stepped to the side so she was not to upset her daughter or anyone else in the room.

Anastasia caught on and eyed her mother's look of dread. She hated seeing that expression and it was bad news –it had to be. "Why are you two huddled in a desolate corner?"

Xena looked at her concerned wife and approached the khatun. "Persians are going to attack Balaam and Mongolia. Navaz asked for a commander," she says and Ana's face paled. "He wants Arielle to lead the front."

* * *

Arielle read her father's request and lifted her eyes to her grandmother, mother and Gabrielle all gawking at her. She threw the letter down on the table and waved her hand. "Of course I will go. It's not like I have much choice."

"Arielle, this will be your first time in the field without my help. I want to make sure that you are ready," said Xena.

"Grandma, you've trained me for four years. I think I know what I'm doing. I haven't disappointed you yet, have I?"

Xena frowned. "It isn't about you disappointing me. It's about you coming back alive and in one piece. I'm not going to be behind you, shouting out commands of what to do next. This isn't a training exercise. This is a real war."

"I'm not stupid. I know that you won't be there physically. I can do this!" she said, slamming her fists on the armrests. Her mother looked at her skeptically and Gabrielle covered her mouth, unsure what to say. She had a pensive look about her.

She added, "You don't think I can do it, can you?" Arielle looked at all three women.

Gabrielle intervened. "It's not that we think you can't do it, Arielle. War is different. Everything is unexpected and you don't always know what your enemy is going to do next. It may start off predictable but that's what the Persians expect."

"Balash and his army are going to expect me to be leading the army but I won't be there. You'll take them by surprise. You're fresh meat, Arielle. You are inexperienced in war. You may be great at commanding on the field with no enemies shooting hundreds of arrows at your men, but you have no idea what's going to happen." Xena advised her granddaughter.

At this point, Arielle was getting annoyed and she stood up, glaring at her three mentors. "All of your training isn't going to go to waste. I'm going and I will  _not_  end up on a funeral pyre," she emits determination and all three women lowered their eyes.

"I'll write Ku and tell her to come here. She can take care of Aurora while I'm away. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to talk to my brother and convince him to give me half his men." She snatched her headdress and stormed out.

* * *

Weeks after Cera's wedding, she left with Mirac to Kazakhstan and probably wouldn't return to Pannonia for a year or so. She promised everyone that she'd write and sure enough after a month, she sent out dozens of letters to everyone. She did miss every single person in her family but she really loved her new home with Mirac.

It was like she never left home in a way. There were a lot of children in Mirac's family and he had so many siblings and other family members that treated Cera really well upon her arrival. They were obligated to because she was a princess of the entire empire and Kerem kept a promise to Anastasia that he'd spy on Madhiya for her. His spying had not been fruitful for awhile and that concerned him only because Madhiya had gone off the radar.

Anastasia received news that the widow of Bleda had left her area and relocated her tribe elsewhere. The new location was unknown but she thought that was very strange.

Arielle gathered up her brother's men and Ernak's as well. She was ready to head to Balaam in full armor and even had a special helmet that had silver chains along the sides to frame her face. The day she was to leave she was accosted by her mother, grandmother and Gabrielle. It was just like their meeting a month ago.

She didn't feel nervous a month ago when she was determined to help her father against the new Persian Shah but now she felt like she was going to vomit. Xena smiled at her and fixed her helmet atop her head.

"You look very adorable in your armor."

Arielle grimaced. "Grandma, I'm supposed to look menacing and strong. Not adorable!"

"Sorry. You look menacingly adorable. Better?"

The young commander rolled her eyes and walked over to the governor who had a hard time keeping a smile on her face. "Gabrielle, I wanted to thank you for helping me. You taught me so much and I know that I've been…a  _pain_  in the past so I want to apologize. I promise my daughter isn't like me. In fact, she's so far off from me that I don't even know who that girl is sometimes. I hope you can teach her everything that you've taught me. She won't give you a hard time, hopefully…"

"As long as she doesn't bring any spiders or snakes in my classroom I think I can teach her," Gabrielle joked. Arielle blushed and sighed deeply. She leaned over and kissed the commander's cheek. "I'll teach her everything I know, I promise."

Arielle stepped over to her mother and looked into her eyes which were oddly dry and void of tears. She gave a tight lipped smile, unsure of what to say. Anastasia hadn't been very receptive over the last month and had a difficult time letting her daughter go on a mission that she may never come back from.

She wrapped her arms around her slender daughter and squeezed tightly. She didn't want to let go. Arielle gasped for air but soon returned the embrace.

"Come back in one piece, please."

Arielle nodded and pulled away. "I will. I promise." she tried to go to her horse but her mother's grip prevented her. "Mom, I have to go!" she says lightly with a smile.

Anastasia frowned sadly and let go of her daughter's hand finally. She watched Arielle mount her horse and call out to the soldiers waiting for the signal to depart from Pannonia. She inhaled deeply and held in her emotions only to wait until her daughter and army had left the encampment entirely.

Xena folded her arms and narrowed her eyes, staring at Arielle ride out, leading the army to the border. When Arielle was out of her view, she turned to her wife who was staring at the army as well.

"Should we follow her?"

Gabrielle raised her eyebrow and smiled, shaking her head. "Xena, she needs to do this by herself. You're not always going to be there for her."

"But nobody ever said I  _shouldn't_  be there for her…" she dances with words.

"She's never going to learn if you're always there to pick her up off her feet. Just let her be." She remained focused on watching the army drift further and further away from the border.

She sighed and turned around to find her wife gone. Spinning around, she heard horse hooves and then Xena rode passed her then made a swift turn to come back around. Gabrielle fixed her winded hair and folded her arms.

Xena smiled deviously and extended her hand. "You're not going to let me do this  _alone_ , are you?"

* * *

 **Gokturk Empire** : Issik, eldest son of Oran and Yeter and second ruler of the Gokturks, established good relations with the White Huns for years. Oran and his wife had two younger sons, Muqan and Taspar, who later became the khans of the Gokturks and Pannonian Avars. The Gokturks and Hun hybrids, called Pannonian Avars, remained allies and friends with the White Huns until the second son, Muqan, became khan and blocked the borders between the two lands.

 **Queen Boareks** : Unfortunately, this woman was the cause of a massive wipe out of Huns with the help from Emperor Justinian. Her sons were unsuccessful at obtaining their positions and died in battle. Her cause of death is unknown but her empire rose and fell quickly after her death.

 **Prince Csaba** : A fierce warrior and from the royal line of Attila, sired three sons, Edemen and twin sons, Aladar and Aman. His sons were the last rulers of the Huns and thus brought the extinction of Attila's empire. Csaba remained prince of the Huns as well as conqueror and king of the Szekelys.

 **Prince Ernak** : The most successful king in the empire after his father. Sharing the empire with Csaba, they split the empire in half and ruled in unison. Ernak continued campaigns against Emperor Justinian. He was the only brother out of all four who sired the most heirs. He and his wife had four sons and three daughters.

 **White Hun Empire** : After the deaths of Attila's sons, the empire dwindled and weakened over the years and fell at one point. Two decades later, the empire regained strength under a king unrelated to Khushnavaz. He wasn't able to remain allies with the Gokturks and thus his empire fell and the Gokturks took over. Once the Gokturks claimed the last bit of Hun land, the Persian Empire emerged again and the Gokturk Empire was taken over by Persian Shahs, distant cousins of Hormizd and Peroz.

 **Pannonian Avars** : The Hun Empire collapsed and the remaining Huns were forced to procreate with Gokturks and Sabirs to continue their line throughout the Steppes and Balkans. The Pannonian Avars remained enemies with Byzantium and continued to have numerous wars over decades. They were saved several times from the Gokturks during war until Gokturk prince, Muqan, became khan.

 **Princess Arielle** : Based off a Pannonian Avar Khatun who married Bayan, the Khan of the Avars. She fought in several wars beside her husband to protect her Hun heritage. She was able to unite the remaining Hun tribes and new Huns were able to establish the old tribes; Ashina, Onogur and Bulgur. She and her stepson, Bayan II, fought against the tyrannical Gokturk Khans for decades.

 **Xena Warrior Princess Characters** : Xena, Gabrielle, Borias, Lyceus, Toris

 **Original Characters:**  Anastasia, Cera II, Soran, Talat, Tolan, Rabia, Handan, Safiya, Pirro, Ditron, Xander, Tuya, Busra

 **Characters Based off historical people** : Shamaness Ursula, Oran, Yeter, Leila, Arielle, Farah, Malka, Erzibet, Nisa, Fairuza, Madhiya

**Historical Characters (Over the series)**

**Huns** : Attila, Bleda, Kreka (Herekan) Khatun, Ellac, Ernak, Dengizich, Bakkah, Kurt, Utigur, Ebnedzar, Edemen, Aman, Aladar, Bayan, Bayan II, Csaba, Khushnavaz, Basil, Cera I, Ildiko, Kriemhild, Erp, Etil, Kandik, Bolgaris, Mirac

 **Romans** : Anastasius, Valentinian, Aetius, Honoria, Placida, Zeno, Theodosius, Petronius, Odoacer, Basilius, Mundus, Justinian, Empress Theodora, Magnus, Priscus

 **Persians** : Peroz, Hormizd, Balash, Yazghard

 **Goths/Franks** : Ragnachar, Theodoric, Alaric

 **Scythians/Magyars** : Tomiri, Arpad

 **Sabirs** : Boareks, Balmaq, Kutilzis, Iliger

 **Gokturks** : Issik, Muqan, Taspar

 **Chinese** : Emperor Liu, Empress Dowager Shen, Empress Zhenfeng, Princess Bosi, Princess Boyuan

 **Szekely** : Czar Danut


End file.
